It seems to be a tough task for Vietnamese sport to achieve the set target of securing three gold medals at the upcoming Asian Games (Asiad) in Indonesia. Nonetheless, the performances and the achievements of Vietnamese athletes in the first six months of the year are sparking a belief in the dream coming true.

Cyclist Nguyen Thi That finishes third at the one-day women’s GP Sofie Goos 2018 in Belgium 

Impressive accomplishments

According to statistics, Vietnamese sport has collected a total of 172 gold, 114 silver and 88 bronze medals in the first half of 2018, including 16 golds, 21 silvers and 21 bronzes at the world level; 54 golds, 39 silvers and 43 bronzes at the Asian level; 80 golds, 47 silvers and 18 bronzes at the Southeast Asian level; and 22 golds, seven silvers and six bronzes in other international competitions.

Some of those gold medals reflect the athlete’s significant progress in terms of quality, such as the World Cup gold medals won by gymnasts Le Thanh Tung and Dinh Phuong Thanh, long jumper Bui Thi Thu Thao’s supreme finish at the Asian Indoor Gymnastics Championships, the gold medal for Nguyen Thi That at the Asian Cycling Championships, and taekwondo artist Tran Tien Khoa with one gold and one silver medal at the Asian championships.

Notably, some young athletes have performed impressively, including the Asian gold medalist Vu Thi Ngoc Ha (track and field), the world youth champion Ho Thi Kim Ngan (taekwondo), and 14-year-old weightlifter Do Tu Tung, who smashed all the three gold medals of the 50kg weight category, breaking the world junior record and being voted the most valuable athlete at the Asian Junior and Youth Championships.

So far, Vietnamese sport has booked six places in the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina, with Ho Thi Kim Ngan (taekwondo), Pham Nhu Phuong and Nguyen Van Khanh Phong (gymnastics), Nguyen Hai Dang and Vu Thi Anh Thu (badminton), and a yet-to-be-decided weightlifter.

These exceptional results give home fans the belief that Vietnamese sport will have a successful Asiad in Indonesia this August. Besides, positive signals have also come from the achievement indicators of the country’s popular athletes, such as swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien, weightlifter Thach Kim Tuan and shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh. Most recently, in mid-July, Vietnamese cyclist Nguyen Thi That finished in third place at the one-day women’s GP Sofie Goos 2018 in Belgium, which added 25 bonus points to her international rating and lifted her to 34th position in the International Cycling Union (UCI)’s rankings, making That the highest ranked Asian in the world.

A target of three gold medals assigned to 11 teams

According to Vuong Bich Thang, General Director of the Department for Sports and Physical Training, in order to realise the target of winning three Asiad gold medals in 2018, the leaders of the sport sector have assigned the medal-winning tasks to 11 national teams, including track and field, swimming, weightlifting, gymnastics, shooting, sepak takraw, cycling, fencing, and some martial arts, such as pencak silat, karate, and taekwondo.

Thang said that “Vietnamese athletes are quite capable of competing for Asiad medals, even gold medals. Although it is not easy to fulfill the set target, what’s important for managers now is to focus the best resources on key athletes.”

Sharing the same viewpoint, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nguyen Ngoc Thien, emphasised that “with the 2018 Asiad coming very close, it is necessary for the national sport training centres to strengthen their management and ensure the needed conditions, in terms of infrastructure, equipment, and healthcare, for athletes.”

Remembering the 17th Asiad four years ago, Vietnamese sport won a total of 36 medals, including 10 silvers, 25 bronzes and only one gold medal, which belonged to Hanoi’s wushu artist Duong Thuy Vi (Taolu event). This statistics show the tough competition in the Asiad arena, and the difficulty for Vietnam’s three-gold outlook in this year’s Games to come true.

In order to complete the set tasks, Vietnamese sport will place expectations on changing the colour of medals, with hopes pinned on the 2014 Asiad medalists who are still in good form at present, namely cyclist Nguyen Thi That (silver medal), weightlifter Thach Kim Tuan (silver medal), long jumper Bui Thi Thu Thao (silver medal).

As for martial arts, the chance for gold medals remains for Vietnamese fighters, but it still depends on many factors, including the unknowns from the Chinese, Japanese and Republic of Korea opponents.

Whatever the result, Vietnamese sport has made a long-term preparation process for the continent’s largest sporting arena, and is reaping positive rewards with such a continuous investment process. With the 2018 Asiad only a month away, what’s important is that focus be put on completing the competition techniques and tactics for athletes and avoiding unexpected injuries. Particularly, psychological therapies need to be taken to help athletes to stabilise their mentalities before G hour.

Nhan Dan