Vietnam sets ASIAD medals goal
The
country will compete in 20 of the 36 events. Hopes are pinned on shooter
Hoang Xuan Vinh, gymnast Phan Thi Ha Thanh, weightlifter Thach Kim
Tuan, swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien, karate artist Nguyen Hoang Ngan,
walker Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc, and chess master Le Quang Liem.
Among
them, Vinh and Thanh are the most successful. Veteran shooter Vinh
rocked the shooting world by taking top honours and setting a new world
record in the men's 10m air pistol event with 202.8 points at the recent
ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup in the US.
He also won a gold
medal at the 2012 Asian Shooting Championships in Doha, Qatar, and
snatched three more gold medals at the 27th Southeast Asian Games in
Indonesia as well as a World Cup gold medal in Changwon, RoK, last
April.
Similarly, Thanh won a gold medal in the women's vault
event at the Grand Prix Osijek in Croatia, and topped the same event at
the Artistic&Rhythmic Gymnastics World Top Competition in Incheon
last month.
Vien has become the first Vietnamese swimmer to rank in the world's top 10 in the women's 400m medley.
She
was voted the No 1 athlete at the March's NASA Junior National
Championship Cup held in Florida, the US, where the invited athlete won
four gold and two silver medals in the girls' 17-18 year-old group.
The
teenager was the most successful swimmer at the 27th Games. Taking part
in eight finals, she won three medals and set two records.
Duong
Thi Viet Anh (high jump), Tran Thi Hue Hoa (triple jump) and Vu Thi
Huong (100m and 4x100m) are also prepared to compete for top honours.
Hoang
Vinh Giang, Deputy Chairman of Asian Olympic Council and Vietnam
Olympic Committee, said Vietnam's goal of winning two gold medals in the
RoK was feasible. At the 16th ASIAD in China, the nation gained one
gold, 17 silvers and 15 bronzes.-VNA