Shooting

Hoàng Xuân Vinh will protect his top position in the men's 10m air pistol at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo 24h,com.vn

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese marksman Hoàng Xuân Vinh will attempt to defend his title at this summer's Tokyo Olympics.

Vinh failed to secure an official berth to compete in the competition for a range of reasons including the COVID-19 pandemic and his declining performance.

Việt Nam in mid-June received an organisers' invitation to compete in shooting.

Vinh was named the candidate by the coaching board as he is the reigning champion in the men's 10m air pistol.

His teammate Trần Quốc Cường was also nominated for the slot by officials of the Việt Nam Shooting Federation. Cường, who finished fourth in a World Cup event in 2010, is currently performing better than his teammate in training.

The Việt Nam Sport Administration deputy director Trần Đức Phấn approved Vinh as Việt Nam's representative.

"We believe in the nomination of head coach Nguyễn Thị Nhung and expat trainer Park Chung-gun who has been with Vinh for the last five years," said head of the administration's Elite Sports 1 Department Hoàng Quốc Vinh.

He said Vinh deserved to represent Việt Nam as has also gradually bounced back to his peak with a score between 580-582 points which could push him to the final round at this year's Olympics.

Previously, Vinh advanced to finals of eight tournaments including the world championship and world cup from which he grabbed three golds, one silver and two bronzes.

“Of course, practices and real competition are not the same. But this statistic shows that he is a suitable choice”, Vinh said.

After Vinh's confirmation, Việt Nam will have 15 official slots in Tokyo. They will compete in shooting, weightlifting, badminton, swimming, boxing, gymnastics, taekwondo, archery and rowing.

According to deputy director Phấn, a slot in boxing will be confirmed soon while the swimming team may receive an invitation in the coming days. He said he would lead a 40-member contingent to leave for Tokyo on July 18.

The Olympics will be held from July 23 to August 8. VNS