The shooting events at ASIAD 20 will take place from September 15 to October 2 in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, with 28 sets of medals. Viet Nam, in 18 events, will field 15 athletes, comprising a mix of experienced international competitors and promising young talents.
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Shooter Trinh Thu Vinh (center) is one of the Vietnamese shooting team’s leading gold medal hopes at ASIAD 20. |
The team’s strongest events include air pistol, women’s 25m pistol, men’s 25m rapid fire pistol, and air rifle.
In the pistol events, Trinh Thu Vinh, Nguyen Thuy Trang, Pham Quang Huy, Ha Minh Thanh, and their teammates are expected to vie for medals. At the same time, greater attention and resources are being devoted to promising young shooters such as Le Thi Mong Tuyen, Phi Thanh Thao, Duong Ha My, Nguyen Tam Quang, Nguyen Minh Quang, and Phung Viet Dung.
Competition in shooting at the Asian Games is particularly intense, as Asia is home to many of the world’s top shooting nations, including China, India, South Korea, Japan, and Kazakhstan.
To win a medal, Vietnamese shooters will therefore have to compete directly against Olympic and world-class athletes. In many events, the outcome may be decided by the final shots or by the narrowest of score margins.
Despite the fierce competition, the Vietnamese shooting team has identified ASIAD 20 as one of its key missions.
Do Van Binh, President of the Viet Nam Shooting Federation, said improving results at the Asian Games requires a synchronized, long-term, focused, and targeted investment.
Besides state resources, he emphasized the need to mobilize greater social resources, improve training conditions, equipment, and practice ammunition, enhance the quality of training, and provide athletes with more opportunities to compete internationally and strengthen their competitiveness.
The President of the Viet Nam Shooting Federation also stressed the importance of developing the next generation of athletes.
The goal of Vietnamese shooting, he said, is not confined to a single Asian Games. It is to build greater depth in the athlete pool, maintain competitiveness in Asia, and aim for higher-level competitions, particularly the Olympics.
At the previous Asian Games, the Vietnamese shooting team won one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal.
At ASIAD 20, the team is expected to continue contributing to the overall medal tally of the Viet Nam Sports Delegation.
Reducing medal pressure does not mean lowering the athletes’ determination to win. Rather, it is intended to help them compete with a more relaxed mindset, supported by thorough preparation.
Translated by Minh Anh