Young athletes, including athletes from Hà Nội, compete at the 2024 National Youth Archery Championship. — Photo hanoimoi.vn

Archery

HÀ NỘI The Hà Nội archery team recently won the 2024 National Youth Archery Championship. This achievement provides a basis for managers to evaluate their players, make long-term investments and look ahead to new goals, as well as contribute athletes to the national team.

Hà Nội's team led the medal tally in early July with 21 golds, 11 silvers and seven bronzes. Notably, the capital team won three out of the four gold medals awarded for all-round events. This is an impressive accomplishment considering the highly competitive nature of the tournament, which featured 160 young, skilled archers from 17 provinces and cities nationwide.

The achievements of the young athletes (aged 18-19) have improved significantly. Players like Triệu Huyền Điệp, Hoàng Phương Thảo, and Trần Thị Trà My have the potential to follow in the footsteps of their seniors on the national team, according to Cáp Mạnh Tân, the head of Hà Nội's Archery Department and coach of the Hà Nội archery team.

Therefore, Hà Nội must invest actively in these young athletes to prepare them for upcoming international tournaments, such as the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in 2025 and the 20th Asian Games in 2026.

Lại Phúc Lộc, deputy director of Hà Nội Sports Training and Competition Centre, explained that archery is a unique sport where athletes compete for a single set of medals, not divided into weight categories or age groups like in martial arts. This makes winning a medal in archery particularly challenging. However, Hà Nội is fortunate to have athletes born in 2000 who are still actively competing, allowing the younger generation born in 2005 to learn and gain experience.

Sports expert Nguyễn Hồng Minh noted that archery is a priority for investment and is a sport which the country expects to win medals in at major events. Hà Nội possess talented athletes with the potential to conquer national and international peaks, so it needs to focus on key areas to meet its goals.

Tân acknowledged that Hà Nội's archery has always received attention and investment from the authorities, with a large squad of 67 athletes. This has contributed to the team's relatively stable performance in national tournaments.

However, relying solely on the mainstay athletes is not a sustainable approach, as they will eventually reach the end of their competitive careers. To prepare for upcoming international events, the department needs to create opportunities for young athletes to train and compete internationally to gain experience.

Đinh Văn Luyến, the director of Hà Nội Sports Training and Competition Centre, said that to ensure the sustainable development of Hà Nội's archery and help the team be ever more successful, the centre will provide the necessary conditions for training in terms of equipment, nutrition and hiring in experts. Additionally, they will support young athletes to train in countries with a strong archery legacy such as South Korea and Turkey, to hone their skills and improve their performance.

Furthermore, the centre will consult with the Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports in order to offer employment opportunities to retired athletes who have already achieved success in international tournaments in order to motivate the younger athletes and contribute to their continued achievements in continental and world events. VNS