SEA Games gold medallist Nguyen Anh Tu (Photo sggp.org.vn) Hanoi (VNA) - Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medallistNguyen Anh Tu aims to take the trophy at the Elite Table Tennis Tournamentwhich will be held in Hanoi on February 3-4.
“I won’t miss this event which attracts the best playersfrom around the country and offers a high prize. Last year, I only managed toreach the semi-finals, so this year, I’m planning to win the trophy,” said Tu,who won the gold medal as part of the men’s team at the SEA Games in Malaysialast year.
Tu hastrained hard to prepare for the tournament, which will attract theparticipation of 16 male and 16 female players, competing in the men’s andwomen’s singles.
Besides Tu,fans will have a chance to see leading players such as TranTuan Quynh of Hanoi T&T, Nguyen Duc Tuan of Hai Duong, Le Tien Dat ofthe Military, and Mai Hoang My Trang of HCM City.
“Thisis the second time the event has been held. We organised the first tournamentfor only male athletes, but this year, we enlarged the competition category toinclude females. This year’s event is expected to bring fans exciting matches,”Dinh Quang Linh, head of the event’s organising board said at a pressconference on January 30.
PhanAnh Tuan, head of table tennis at the National Sports Administration, said theElite Table Tennis Tournament is a prestigious event.
“Theevent will give athletes a chance to hone their skills to prepare for the World Table Tennis Championships to be held in April inBelgium in which Vietnam will take part with three players,” said Tuan.
The winners in the men’s and women’s categories in thetournament will walk away with a prize of 60 million VND (2,600 USD)
Le Tien Dat of the Military won the title at last year’s event, afterdefeating Nguyen Duc Tuan of Hai Duong in the final.-VNA
VNA
