At the 2024 Paris Olympics, senior shooters Hoang Xuan Vinh and Tran Quoc Cuong will be worthy successors by two female juniors Trinh Thu Vinh and Le Thi Mong Tuyen.
Trinh Thu Vinh - the hope of Vietnamese shooting at the 2024 Olympics - Photo: NVCC
Fate with shooting
But few people know that, before becoming a famous female shooter, the girl from Thanh Hoa was an athlete, then coincidentally fell in love with the shooting range. Thu Vinh shared: "I came to sports in a funny way! In the beginning of middle school, just because I saw my friends running well, I applied to join the school's athletics team, through a friend who helped me talk to the teachers to let me try out. After that, I competed second in the district and was able to compete in the provincial competition. At that tournament, I caught the eye of Ms. Bac - the sepak takraw coach of the People's Public Security team that was recruiting soldiers in Thanh Hoa. At that time, she saw me playing with my friends, chasing me around the field but no one could catch me. She must have seen that I ran well, so she came to ask for my parents' phone number and introduced me to the People's Public Security athletics team. So from 2014, I started to follow athletics in the 800m, 1,500m and 5,000m distances. But I had no luck with athletics. After 3 years of training without any results, the teachers tried to let me practice shooting. At that time, I also determined that if I couldn't keep up, I would quit because I was almost at the end of my youth. But luckily Luckily, after 3 months of trying, the teachers on the shooting team saw that I had talent and chose me to join the team. Having been involved in shooting since 2017 (17 years old), after only one year, Thu Vinh quickly showed her potential with 2 gold medals (individual, team) and set a national youth record in the women's 10m air pistol event at the 2018 National Youth Air Pistol Championship.Sacrifice for sport
In the minds of many people, shooting is a rather… leisurely sport because you don’t have to brave the rain or sun or endure the risk of injury from collisions… But every sport has sacrifices, especially for women. Shooting is no exception. Despite her good looks, few people know that she sometimes suffers from low self-esteem because of her appearance. Thu Vinh shared: "Compared to other competitive sports, shooting is lighter physically but more mentally stressful. A competition has a total of 60 official shots and takes place within 1 hour and 30 minutes. We must always achieve the maximum possible score in each shooting series. You only have a maximum of 10 shots that miss the 10 mark. During practice or competition, my mind can only think about techniques and movements. If I relax even a little, my train of thought will be interrupted and I can easily forget what I was thinking. Currently, my shoulders are uneven, one is bigger than the other. It would be a lie to say that I don't feel self-conscious about this because all women and girls like to be beautiful. Sometimes when I go to buy a shirt, I like it very much but when I try it on, it doesn't fit my shoulders, so I feel a bit self-conscious. But to trade that self-consciousness for a sports career, I think it's nothing." Thu Vinh's relatives were initially worried that sports would prevent her from developing her figure normally. Although it was heartbreaking to see their daughter tired and injured... her parents ultimately did not stop her from participating in sports.
Shooter Trinh Thu Vinh prepares for the Paris Olympics - Photo: QUY LUONG
Journey to the Olympics
Thu Vinh's career marked a special milestone in 2022. That year, shooter Tran Quoc Cuong retired from his athletic career and switched to coaching. He directly led the female shooters in the national team, including Thu Vinh, and helped her make great strides. One year under the guidance of coach Quoc Cuong, Thu Vinh achieved a memorable mark in her career. She excellently entered the top 5 in the women's 10m air pistol event at the 2023 World Shooting Championship and won a ticket to the 2024 Olympics. In early 2024, Thu Vinh continued to make her mark with a gold medal at the Asian Shooting Championship, in the 10m mixed team pistol event with male shooter Pham Quang Huy. At the 2022 Asiad (taking place in September 2023), Thu Vinh's performance was relatively good when she ranked 6th in the 10m air pistol event. "After winning a ticket to the 2024 Olympics, people recognized me on the street. They often said I looked cool and jokingly asked if I had a gun to shoot... birds (laughs). In general, in the past 3 years, my achievements have been quite good, so I have been able to help my family a little, and my parents have had less difficulty. From the first day I started playing sports until now, many teachers have guided and helped me on my career path to achieve the achievements I have now. Each teacher who has trained me has many valuable things. I am grateful to my teachers for what they have taught me," Thu Vinh shared. At the age of 24, Thu Vinh is not under much pressure to inherit the achievements of famous senior shooters. But in a sport that always contains many surprises like shooting, who knows, Thu Vinh might surprise me. During her training for the 2024 Olympics, she reached the qualifying points for the finals in both the 10m air pistol and 25m sport pistol events.
Shooter Trinh Thu Vinh's journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics - Graphics: AN BINH
A few words about Thu Vinh
Trinh Thu Vinh was born in 2000. 2022: won 2 gold medals at the 9th National Sports Festival, 1 silver medal and 1 bronze medal at the 31st SEA Games. 3 gold medals at the Southeast Asian Shooting Championship (SEASA). Top 5 in the women's 10m air pistol event at the 2023 World Shooting Championship. Compete in two Olympic events: 10m air pistol and 25m sport pistol.Tuoitre.vn
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ky-vong-tu-bo-vai-lech-cua-trinh-thu-vinh-20240718101143973.htm
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