It is expected that on August 10, the Vietnamese shooting team will finish training in Korea and depart for the 2023 World Shooting Championship, which is also the qualifying round for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The team's goal is to strive to win one or two spots to attend the 2024 Paris Olympics and strive for a medal at the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD 19). Sharing with reporters of the People's Army Newspaper, Mr. Hoang Xuan Vinh, coach in charge of the Vietnamese shooting team, said: "The training trip to Korea helps the shooters hone their combat skills, because in the country there is a shortage of explosive ammunition for training due to import procedures."

Army sniper Phi Thanh Thao is a promising young face. Photo: NGAN HA

Assessing the goal of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics, coach Hoang Xuan Vinh said that the Vietnamese shooting team has high hopes for the pistol events. The 2023 World Shooting Championship is an opportunity for shooters to qualify directly for the Olympics, otherwise, we will have to participate in many other international tournaments to accumulate points. In addition, it is not impossible that Vietnamese shooters will receive an invitation to the Olympics, similar to the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

The fact that shooting is not included in the competition program of the 2023 Southeast Asian Games has somewhat affected the performance and mentality of the shooters. However, the regional arena is still far from the Asian Games level. The Vietnamese shooting team is in the process of rejuvenation with many shooters participating in international tournaments for the first time. Currently, Vietnamese shooting has high expectations for shooters such as: Lai Cong Minh, Pham Quang Huy, Trinh Thu Vinh, Nguyen Thuy Trang (air pistol); Phi Thanh Thao, Le Thi Mong Tuyen (rifle); Ha Minh Thanh (rapid-fire pistol).

Due to lack of competition, the shooters lack experience and the courage to compete internationally. Therefore, the coaching staff also has few parameters and achievements to base their evaluation on. Coach Hoang Xuan Vinh commented that ASIAD 19 is one of the important tasks in 2023 for Vietnamese shooting. Developed shooting backgrounds such as India, Korea, China and Japan are all very well prepared. Although the Vietnamese shooting team continues to receive investment, its development speed is slow. Compared to the previous spearheads, the young generation, although talented, needs time to train and mature.

To overcome the above difficulties, Coach Hoang Xuan Vinh said: "In addition to giving shooters professional training and improving their physical strength, we also train them in techniques, tactics, courage and competitive mentality. We hope that the shooters will demonstrate their abilities, and at the same time, we hope that outstanding individuals can achieve good results as set out in the goals."

HOA LU

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