The Vietnamese sports delegation is running out of hope.
Báo Thanh niên•20/11/2024
Despite her best efforts, three-time Asian champion Nguyen Thi That was unable to spring a surprise against strong opponents in the women's road cycling event held yesterday, August 4th. The goal of winning a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics is increasingly slipping away for the Vietnamese sports delegation.
Competing against 92 rivals, including world-class female road cyclists like Kopecky Lotte (Belgium, world No. 1), Vollering Demi (Netherlands, No. 2), Wiebes Lorena (Netherlands, No. 3), Longo Borghini Elisa (Italy, No. 4), and Labous Juliette (France, No. 5), Vietnam's number one female cyclist still boldly attacked. She surprised everyone by breaking away at the front, creating a gap of over 6 minutes with six other riders from the main group behind. If she had finished with this group, Nguyen Thi That would have had a very good chance of winning a medal, given her strong sprinting ability. However, the strong teams behind her accelerated, successfully catching up with Nguyen Thi That's leading group, causing her to fall behind and miss her chance to compete for a medal.
Cyclist Nguyen Thi Thap (center) competes with great effort in the road cycling event.
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Nguyen Thi That is the 14th of 16 Vietnamese athletes to complete their participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but she has yet to achieve her previously set medal goals. Vietnamese sports are still pinning their hopes on two final opportunities: Nguyen Thi Huong (canoeing) and Trinh Van Vinh (weightlifting). According to the schedule, Trinh Van Vinh will compete on August 7th. In the men's 61 kg category, he will face strong competitors such as Li Fabin (China), who currently holds the best total lift of 314 kg, Morris Hampton Miller (USA, 303 kg), and Sergio Massidda (Italy, 302 kg). With a best performance of 294 kg, Trinh Van Vinh will have to compete against top Southeast Asian rivals such as Eko Yuli (Indonesia, 300 kg), Ceniza John Febuar (Philippines, 300 kg), and Silachai Theerapong (Thailand, 299 kg). Van Vinh previously made a breakthrough, defeating strong opponents and winning a gold medal at the 2017 SEA Games, which is the basis for high expectations in his first Olympic appearance. Nguyen Thi Huong is the last Vietnamese athlete to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In her first major competition, she will face 16 very strong opponents in the 200m single sculls event. Therefore, the goal set by this rower born in 2000 is to surpass her personal best. It is highly likely that, similar to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the Vietnamese sports delegation will leave the 2024 Paris Olympics without any medals.
Báo Thanh niên•20/11/2024
