Marksmen to seek Olympic spots at Asian championships

The continental competition which is the Asian zonal Olympic qualification will see many athletes competing in 18 events for men and 14 for women, along with four for mixed teams. Junior athletes will also have a chance to shine in eight events for both individual and team classes.

There are 16 Olympic tickets available for shooters in 10m air rifle, 50m rifle three positions, 10m air pistol, 25m rapid fire pistol, and 25m air pistol events.

Head coach Park Chung-gun has picked the best 11 athletes to take part in a two-week training course in Jakarta, before beginning the tournament from January 8-18.

Among them Asian Games champion Pham Quang Huy is expected to earn an Olympic ticket with his strong point of men's 10m air pistol.

The 27-year-old, voted the Best Athlete of 2023, said he had a strong desire to make his Olympic dream come true after missing opportunities at 2023 competitions.

According to the coaching board, if Huy could maintain his best performance, and with a little luck, he would make it.

Other potential athletes are 2023 Asian Cup bronze medallist Nguyen Thuy Trang, 2023 Asian championship medal holders Phan Xuan Chuyen, Phan Cong Minh and Lai Cong Minh.

After Jakarta, athletes will take part in the world tournament in April in Brazil, the last Olympic qualification.

Currently, Vietnam have earned one place at the Paris Games for Trinh Thi Thu Vinh, who placed fifth at the 2023 world championships' women's 10m air pistol.

Vietnamese sport officials in a recent meeting reviewing performance in 2023 and setting targets for 2024 believed that shooting would gain more slots in the new year.

“When discussing with the coaching board and Park, they confirmed to us the possibility of taking a second official spot," said Hoang Quoc Vinh of the Sports Authority of Vietnam.

"We all are looking forward to the positive results of the tournament in Indonesia," said Vinh, adding that the Vietnamese team not only aims to have more Olympic qualified athletes, but also to take a medal in this arena.

VNA