The fencing team will compete in the Seoul Grand Prix on April 27-29 for their Paris Olympics campaign. (Photo: zing.vn) Representing Vietnam in the men's sabre category are Vu Thanh andNguyen Van Quyet, while Bui Thi Thu Ha, Pham Thi Thu Hoai, and Phung Thi KhanhLinh will compete in the women's class.
The team faces a tough challenge as they go up against some of theworld's strongest fencers in Seoul.
An, the Southeast Asian No 1, is ranked 224th in the world, whileQuyet is ranked 174th.
They will face formidable opponents such as world No 1 SandroBazadze of Georgia, No 2 Aron Szilagyi of Hungary, and No 3 Bolade Apithy fromFrance.
The women's team faces an even greater challenge, with Linh ranked271st, Hoai ranked 375th, and Ha not yet ranked.
They will be up against world's top three fencers Misaki Emura ofJapan, Despina Georgiadou of Greece, and Anna Bashta of Azerbaijan.
Although none of the Vietnamese fencers advanced to the top 10 atthe Italian Grand Prix in February, the team remains determined to qualify forthe Paris Olympics in 2024.
Vietnam's plan includes international training courses andtournaments to help athletes like An earn enough points for their world rankingto qualify for the Paris event.
SEA Games approaching
After Seoul, the fencers will return home and join their teammatesfor final preparation before leaving for Phnom Penh for the 32nd SEA Games.
Fencing will be held from May 11-16 at the Chroy ChangvarInternational Convention and Exhibition Centre.
At SEA Games 31 last May, Vietnam won five golds, one silver andfive bronzes, placing second in the medal tally.
Among the winners, An and Ha won two golds each in both individualand team disciplines. The others went to Nguyen Tien Nhat in the individualépée.
"It has been almost a year," said head coach Nguyen TienViet. "Many things have changed. All participating teams such as Thailand,Singapore, the Philippines, and notably the hosts, have prepared really welland are thirsty for gold."
"Among 12 sets of medals, we expect to win three to four. Nospecific athlete is targeted for gold, but all are asked to try their best forthis task."
However, An and his sabre teammates are still the top titlefavourites in their classes, as they have dominated at the SEA Games for years.An won four individual golds in a row, and the teammate took golds in tworecent Games.
Nhat is also a highlight of the team as he has won five SEA Gamestitles since 2015 in both individual and team categories of épée.
On the women's side, Ha and her teammates are determined to topthe podiums again.
"Singapore and Thailand are growing strongly," said Ha."They have young and talented athletes who regularly own good speed andtechnique after intensive training. Meanwhile, Cambodia pays all attention tosabre, so they are also potential."
"Pressure on us is high, but we will make it a strong push.We will also learn to keep our minds stable and be brave during competitions.We will bring the victory home."
Meanwhile, rising star Linh said it was her third Games and shewould do best for the title.
"I met with psychological problems and cramps, so I couldn'tshow my full potential. This time in Cambodia, my teammates and I had to defendour two titles. We know winning is hard, but keeping it is much more difficult.We will face really strong rivals, but we will work hard to maintain as thebest sabre team in the region," Linh said./.
VNA
