Quách Thị Lan was nominated to attend the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by wildcard entry due to her 400 metres hurdles gold medal at ASIAD 2018. Photo sport5.vn

HÀ NỘI The Việt Nam Athletics Federation has nominated athlete Quách Thị Lan to compete in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics through a wildcard entry.

Lan is the track and field team's last hope of being represented at the Games, as the men's and women's 4x400m relay team were unable to attend the World Athletics Relay in Poland in early May due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, in other categories, Vietnamese athletes’ results are still quite far behind Olympic standards.

In the 400m, at 52.80 seconds, the best achievement in 2019 from Nguyễn Thị Huyền, who won a direct slot to the 2016 Olympics 400m and 400m hurdles, is still nearly two seconds below the standard A to qualify for the Games.

Huyền’s 400m hurdles time of 56.9 seconds is also far behind the Olympic 2020 standard A by 1.5 seconds.

Also in the 400m hurdles category, Quách Thị Lan’s result of 56.1 seconds is below the standard A time by 0.70 seconds. 

According to Dương Đức Thủy from the committee of Physical Training and Sports of Việt Nam, the Vietnamese track and field team still has a chance to attend the Olympics through the wildcard.

Each country, region or territory that does not win direct tickets can send a maximum of one male and one female athlete to participate in the Olympics by special entries.

Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, General Secretary of the Việt Nam Athletics Federation, said: “Việt Nam has just nominated Quách Thị Lan for a wildcard entry to attend the 2020 Olympics in Japan because of her achievement of winning a 400m gold medal at ASIAD 2018.”

“The nomination deadline will be June 21, World Athletics Federation will respond on July 1 and our federation will officially register athletes from July 2 to July 5,” he added.

In the 2012 Olympics was the case of Nguyễn Thanh Phúc qualified directly in racewalking and Dương Thị Việt Anh mad the long jump.

The Rio Games in 2016 saw Nguyễn Thành Ngưng in racewalking and Nguyễn Thị Huyền in 400m and 400m hurdles compete.

The last time Việt Nam's track and field team attended the Olympics with a wildcard entry was in 2008 through Vũ Thị Hương (100m) and Nguyễn Đình Cường (800m). VNS