ON TARGET: Lê Thị Mộng Tuyền is the first Vietnamese rifle shooter to earn an Olympic place. Photo courtesy of VSF

Putting her rifle down, Lê Thị Mộng Tuyền left the position and tried to hold back her tears. Back in her seat, she was hugged by her teammates and coaches. Despite winning no medal, Tuyền had made history.

The 20-year-old has become the first Vietnamese rifle shooter to secure an Olympic place. More than an opportunity to compete at the world's largest sporting tournament, Tuyền expected to get the highest result in her career in Paris this summer.

Shooting is cool

"I was a timid girl. When I was at secondary school, I heard about shooting, which sounded cool to me, and decided to take a try with the hope that it would make me stronger," said Tuyền.

The girl spent time after school to practise the precise sport and grabbed her first title at the national junior championship in 2019, which made her life's turning point.

"The title pushed me to a decision to be a professional shooter, which my parents did not support because they wanted me to follow academic studies so that I would have a stable job in the future, not in sport which is a short and unstable career," said Tuyền.

"But I loved it so much because shooting required precision, confidence, and high concentration and I desire to conquer challenges, achieve high reputation and stand on the podium. So I persuaded my parents and said I would take responsibility for my decision."

Three years later in 2023, Tuyền won three golds and set up four national records at the National Sports Games (NSG). She bagged her first international gold at the Southeast Asian Championship the same year.

Tuyền is not only the national champion in various categories with the rifle but also a record holder in both junior and senior championships and the NSG.

Lê Thị Mộng Tuyền finishes fourth in the women's 10m air rifle at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship 2024 in Indonesia. The result is enough to bring her to the Paris Olympics in July. VNS Photo Vũ Sinh

"I was lucky to be trained by a South Korean coach since the first days of practising in HCM City. When I became a national team player, I received strong support and help from current head coach Park Chung Gun, former head coach Nguyễn Thị Nhung and coach Nguyễn Duy Hoàng. They assisted me in all activities from the training, and competing to daily life."

History made

Tuyền was one of 11 Vietnamese athletes taking part in the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship in Indonesia, which offers Olympic qualification.

As one of the youngest members of the team, her initial task was to learn as much as possible from strong rivals. With her talent and potential, Tuyền hoped to get a high result and secure Việt Nam's second Olympic slot in shooting.

"Before the shoot-out, I was anxious and nervous because I would be against strong rivals from China, India and South Korea," said Tuyền.

"But I told myself to try my best because it was nearly the last qualification. There is the world qualifier in the next few weeks, but it would be much more challenging than the Asian championship. Moreover, I prepared well for this tournament and my job was to do my best.

She did a good job in the women's 10m air rifle, being one of the top eight finalists.

Among them, five were already qualified. As a result, Tuyền, Fatemeh Amini Pozveh from Iran and Natanya Huiyi Tan of Singapore competed for two slots.

The Vietnamese champion maintained her high performance to finish fourth place, leaving both Pozveh and Tan behind in sixth and eighth, respectively. She did not bring home a medal, but the result was enough for her to qualify for this summer's Olympics.

Lê Thị Mộng Tuyền poses for a photo after her Olympic qualification. She is the second Vietnamese shooter to compete at this year's Summer Olympics. VNS Photo Đào Trang

"I can't believe that I made it. It was my personal best result. I am happy and proud to be the first Vietnamese rifle shooter to take part in an Olympics," she said.

Not only Tuyền but her coaches and pundits were surprised at her achievement. The rifle had never been Việt Nam's strong point, and Tuyền had only practised shooting professionally for four years.

Coach Park was emotional after his athlete's result. The South Korean said he was pleased and proud of Tuyền.

Meanwhile, former coach Nhung said: "Tuyền is a well-trained athlete with good qualities and technique. She has a strong and stable mentality, which is critical in shooting. I believe that if our shooters, including Tuyền, receive strong support, they would compete well with world athletes at the Olympics.”

Tuyền agrees with her coach, believing this is only her beginning. But she needs to practise harder and compete better.

"I will improve my technique and lift my result from now to the Games so that I can bring victory home. I hope many people will accompany and cheer for the Vietnamese shooting team and me in every event." VNS