Vietnamese duo Lường Thị Thảo and Đinh Thị Hảo seen preparing their boat at the World Rowing Asia and Oceania Olympic and Paralympic qualification regatta. They finished second in the women's lightweight double sculls category and qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. Photo of World Rowing

Rowing

HÀ NỘI — Rowers have secured Viet Nam's seventh Olympic slot at the World Rowing Asia and Oceania Olympic and Paralympic qualification regatta which ended in Japan on Friday.

Duo Lường Thị Thảo and Đinh Thị Hảo finished second in the women's lightweight double sculls with a time of 7 minuted and 17.34 seconds. They were behind Chiaki Tomita and Ayami Oishi of the hosts who finished in 7:15.84. The bronze went to Zeinab Norouzi Tazeh Kand and Kimia Zarei of Iran on 7:23.86.

The top three in double events will qualify for the Tokyo Games, where Thảo and Hảo will compete in their first Olympics. 

Their teammate Phạm Thị Huệ was fourth in the women's single sculls. Her result could have seen her qualify as the top five receiving slots to Tokyo in individual races, however, each country was only allowed to send its highest-placed qualifier to the Games.

On the men's side, Nguyễn Văn Hiếu failed to make the top five in the single sculls and was sixth with a time of 7:34.11.

More than 75 athletes went to Japan for the tournament which started on May 5 on the Tokyo 2021 rowing course, the Sea Forest Waterway venue.

Six boat classes contested the qualification regatta in Tokyo - the men’s and women’s single sculls, lightweight double sculls and para single sculls.

Previously, Việt Nam secured berths in swimming by Nguyễn Huy Hoàng, gymnastics by Lê Thanh Tùng and Đinh Phương Thành, archery by Nguyễn Hoàng Phi Vũ and Đỗ Thị Ánh Nguyệt, and boxing by Nguyễn Văn Đương.

The Tokyo Games, which was delayed for one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, is scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 8, with a total of 339 sets of medals across 33 sports.

Việt Nam's best result in the Games was a gold medal in the men's 10m air pistol by Hoàng Xuân Vinh at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016. VNS