Paralympics

Phạm Nguyễn Khánh Minh is the first Vietnamese runner to compete at the Paris Paralympics this August. VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Runner Phạm Nguyễn Khánh Minh has qualified for the Paris Paralympics this summer.

Minh is classified in the T12 category for runners with a visual impairment, meaning his vision restricted to a radius of less than five degrees and/or the ability to recognise a moving object at a distance of one metre.

Under the World Para Athletics (WPA) rules there are 27 slots for men from member countries based on the High Performance Slot Allocation ranking.

WPA has sent a letter of confirmation to the Việt Nam Paralympics Committee and Minh is named.

After taking part in number of competitions in the last three years, the 28-year-old, who won silver at the China's Asian Games and gold at the Cambodian 32nd SEA Games in 2023, placed eighth in the men's 400m T12 rankings. The result gets him to the August 28-September 8 event in Paris, joining thousands of strongest athletes with disabilities in the world.

He will be the third Vietnamese qualifier after swimmers Lê Tiến Đạt and Đỗ Thanh Hải secured their spots last month.

Việt Nam will have more athletes with disabilities, including powerlifters, going to Paris in the next couple of weeks when the final shortlists are wrapped up. - VNS