On the evening of August 4 (Vietnam time), cyclist Nguyen Thi That finished 73rd in the women's road cycling event (158km), trailing the winner by 11 minutes and 24 seconds. Despite being a three-time Asian champion and a hopeful for an upset, Vietnam's top cyclist still faces a significant gap compared to her world-class competitors.

With Nguyen Thi That's journey at the Olympics concluded, Vietnam's sports delegation now pins its hopes on the remaining two athletes yet to compete: Trinh Van Vinh (weightlifting) and Nguyen Thi Huong (canoeing).

According to the competition schedule, Trinh Van Vinh will participate in the men's under-61kg weightlifting category on August 7. The following day, canoeist Nguyen Thi Huong will compete in the women's single kayak 200m heats.

Among these two athletes, Trinh Van Vinh is Vietnam's last hope for a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. During the qualifiers, the weightlifter from Bac Ninh secured his Olympic spot by ranking 6th with a total lift of 294kg. To vie for a medal, Van Vinh needs to surpass a total lift of 300kg - a daunting challenge for the Vietnamese lifter, who is no longer at the peak of his form.

While Vietnam faces the risk of ending the Olympics without a medal for the second time, neighboring Southeast Asian countries are celebrating their medal wins, including golds.

Notably, on the evening of August 4, Filipino athlete Carlos Yulo delivered two impressive vault performances, scoring 15.433 and 14.800 points (averaging 15.116 points), earning the Philippines its second gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Previously, Yulo won the first gold for the Philippines in the floor exercise event, scoring 15.000 points.

In badminton, Kunlavut Vitidsarn from Thailand defeated Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia in the semi-finals, advancing to the men's singles final with a silver medal secured. If he maintains his form, he could clinch Thailand's first gold medal at the Olympics.

In women's singles, Indonesian shuttler Gregoria Mariska Tunjung lost to An Se Young 1-2 (21/11, 13/21, and 16/21) in the semi-finals. Nevertheless, Gregoria secured a bronze medal without breaking a sweat as her opponent withdrew due to injury. This marked Indonesia's first medal at the 2024 Olympics.

In the coming days, Thailand hopes to earn more medals in its strong disciplines, taekwondo and weightlifting. Meanwhile, Indonesia and the Philippines still have several promising athletes competing at the Paris Olympics.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Vietnam did not win any medals, whereas the Philippines secured 1 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze, ranking 50th. Thailand achieved 1 gold and 1 bronze, placing 59th. Malaysia claimed 1 silver and 1 bronze, finishing 74th overall.

Duy Nguyen