Nguyễn Thị Xuân (top) is Việt Nam’s strong hope for success at international events. — Photo baohaiphong.com.vn

Despite consistently asserting their position in the Southeast Asian arena, the Vietnamese wrestling team lacks opportunities to compete in continental and international events.

Securing places for the 2024 Paris Olympics has become an urgent task for Vietnamese wrestlers.

The year 2023 held great excitement for Southeast Asian wrestlers as they participated in two major tournaments in Cambodia: the 32nd SEA Games and the Southeast Asian Wrestling Championship 2023.

At the 32nd SEA Games, the Vietnamese team showcased outstanding performance, emerging as the top-performing team within the Vietnamese sports delegation. They won 13 gold, four silver, and one bronze medal, securing the first position in the medal tally and surpassing their set target.

The 2023 Southeast Asian Wrestling Championship concluded in early December, with Việt Nam fielding 62 athletes who won an impressive 26 gold medals. This tournament serves as a prerequisite for the coaching board to evaluate their professional work comprehensively, enabling them to meticulously prepare the best players for significant investment.

Earlier this year, Vietnamese wrestling teams also took part in regional events at U17 and U20 age groups. The U17 team secured 19 gold medals, while the U20 team achieved an impressive 27 gold medals.

Although Vietnamese wrestlers have demonstrated exceptional skills in various weight classes, they still face challenges when competing against Asian opponents for medals. In the recent Asian Games 19, the Vietnamese team did not achieve the desired level of success.

To advance further on the continental and global stage, Việt Nam requires a robust, systematic, and long-term investment strategy for wrestling.

As part of the plan, the Vietnamese wrestling team will assemble in early 2024, with female wrestlers gathering for the Asian Olympic qualifiers in April in Kyrgyzstan. The world qualifiers will follow in May 2024, also taking place in Kyrgyzstan. The Asian Olympic qualifiers carry the highest expectations. Currently, hopes are pinned on Nguyễn Thị Xuân (50kg), Bùi Thị Đào (53kg), Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Trang (55kg), and Trần Thị Ánh (57kg).

According to Đới Đăng Hỷ, vice president of the Việt Nam Wrestling Federation, the sustainable development of Vietnamese wrestling and the training of athletes capable of competing at the international level necessitate a focus on fundamental and systematic investment in athlete training across provinces, cities, and industries.

Meanwhile, at the national team level, rejuvenation is crucial, with young athletes injecting new vitality and striving to achieve the goal of capturing medals at the Asian Games while vying for Olympic places, Hỷ said.

Additionally, forging partnerships with countries that excel in wrestling represents a practical direction to establish a solid foundation, he added. — VNS