Remember at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Nguyen Thi That lost her chance to participate at the last minute because the International Cycling Federation changed the scoring system. Notably, at that time Nguyen Thi That was in good form and highly regarded by experts. Based on this lesson, the Vietnam Cycling and Motor Sports Federation, along with Nguyen Thi That herself, has meticulously and systematically prepared for the campaign to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Speaking to a reporter from the People's Army Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, General Secretary of the Vietnam Cycling and Motor Sports Federation, stated: “Nguyen Thi That's achievement of winning the Asian Championship and securing a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics was part of our plan. We considered two scenarios: If That defended her title, she would qualify for the Olympics through a special exemption; if That did not win, we would strive to earn as many bonus points as possible to improve the ranking of the Vietnamese cycling team. Simply reaching the top 45 in the world would secure a spot for Vietnamese cycling at the Olympics, and this goal is achievable. Since That has already secured her ticket, we don't need to worry about accumulating points anymore.”

Nguyen Thi That (center) is the first Vietnamese athlete to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo: Thaicycling

Nguyen Thi That isn't thinking about the 2024 Paris Olympics yet, as her immediate goal is to compete for a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games (ASIAD 19) held in China in September 2023. However, there's still a significant gap between winning the Asian Championships and the ASIAD gold medal. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu analyzed: "While the Asian Championship race course is 109km long, with few hills and a flat section near the finish line, the route at ASIAD 19 is 141km long and has two steep hills near the finish. Nguyen Thi That is not strong in hill climbing ability, so she is expected to face many difficulties. Furthermore, ASIAD 19 only allows a maximum of two cyclists from each country to participate in the women's road race, making coordination and support between athletes more difficult. As the reigning Asian champion, That will attract attention from competitors, making it much harder to compete for the gold medal at ASIAD 19."

After the 2023 Asian Road Cycling Championships, Nguyen Thi That returned to the Israel Premier Tech Roland club (Switzerland) to train and compete. It is known that the Vietnam Cycling and Motor Sports Federation has submitted a plan to the General Department of Sports and Physical Education to send Nguyen Thi That and several teammates to participate in the World Cycling Championships, and also to train in China before the 19th Asian Games to gain experience and familiarize themselves with the race track.

At the 2023 Asian Road Cycling Championships, in addition to Nguyen Thi That, the Vietnamese cycling team also won two gold medals (Thach Thi Ngoc Thao and Nguyen Thi Be Hong) and one bronze medal (Pham Le Xuan Loc) in the youth categories. In recognition of these achievements, the Cycling Committee of the Vietnam Cycling and Motor Sports Federation awarded 50 million VND for each gold medal and 10 million VND for each bronze medal. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu stated: “Approximately 30 minutes after the Asian Championships concluded, the prize money was transferred to the winning cyclist. Recently, the Federation has faced many difficulties in securing sponsorships, so the support from the Amateur Cycling Committee is commendable. In addition, we have also successfully secured a business to provide training and competition equipment for the Vietnamese national cycling team. These acts of kindness have contributed to boosting the morale of Vietnamese cyclists, giving them more confidence to pursue new goals.”

HUU TRUONG