At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Vietnam's delegation did not win any medals. This year, with 16 athletes, including two special invitees, the goal is to secure a medal in any of the disciplines they are competing in, particularly shooting, archery, and weightlifting.

In shooting, Trinh Thu Vinh will compete in the women's 10m air pistol event on the afternoon of July 27. Her chances of advancing past the qualifiers are high, given her 5th place finish at the 2023 World Championships. If she makes it to the finals, anything is possible.

At the 2016 Olympics, shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh made history with one gold and one silver medal, the highest achievement ever for Vietnam in the Olympics.

Trinh Thu Vinh's potential for a medal is bolstered by the assessment of Park Chung Gun, the Korean expert and head coach of the Vietnamese shooting team.

"During training and international competitions, Vinh has shown consistent performance. Her current scores in the 10m air pistol and 25m sports pistol events are consistently around 580 and 583 points, respectively. If she maintains this form and times her peak performance well, she can reach the finals and contend for a medal," he said.

Another shooter, Le Thi Mong Tuyen, will compete in the women's 10m air rifle event. While Tuyen is among the top contenders in Asia, she will need an extraordinary performance to secure a medal.

In weightlifting, Trinh Van Vinh (61kg men's category) is another medal hopeful for Vietnam. His career-best total lift is 307kg. To win a medal at Paris 2024, the weightlifter from Bac Ninh province will need to lift at least 300kg. Although his total lift at the 2024 Weightlifting World Cup was 294kg (131kg snatch and 163kg clean and jerk), Vinh has previously achieved remarkable lifts. If he performs at his best, he could spring a surprise.

In archery, Vietnam's hopes lie with archers Do Thi Anh Nguyet and Le Quoc Phong. In her first match on July 25, Anh Nguyet scored a total of 648 points, placing her 37th out of 64 archers. She will face Fallah Mobina from Iran in the knockout round on July 30. Mobina scored 652 points, ranking 28th in the opening round.

Anh Nguyet’s teammate, Le Quoc Phong, scored 652 points, ranking 47th out of 64 archers. He will face Olaru Dan from Moldova, who ranked 18th with 671 points.

In the mixed team event, Le Quoc Phong and Do Thi Anh Nguyet scored a combined 1,300 points, placing 24th out of 27 teams. Only the top 16 teams advance to the knockout round, so Vietnam did not qualify in this category. However, the two archers still have opportunities in the individual events.

Other athletes, such as swimmer Huy Hoang, cyclist Nguyen Thi That, badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh, and boxers Vo Thi Kim Anh and Ha Thi Linh, while having slim chances of winning medals, are still highly anticipated.

The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics took place at 0:30 AM on July 27 (Vietnam time). Vietnam's delegation paraded with 10 members (6 athletes and 4 officials). The flag bearers were Le Duc Phat (badminton) and Nguyen Thi That (cycling).

Dai Nam