Contrast SEA Games-ASIAD, the difficulty of finding a place at the Olympics

2023 is a busy year for Vietnamese sports with many major international tournaments, notably the 32nd SEA Games, the 19th ASIAD and the journey to find a place at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Vietnamese athletes and teams have left their mark on the regional stage but still have many limitations when entering the continental and world arenas.

Number 1 in SEA Games but falling behind in ASIAD

At the 32nd SEA Games held in Cambodia, the Vietnamese sports delegation won 136 gold medals, 105 silver medals and 118 bronze medals. This was an unexpected achievement. The Vietnamese sports delegation topped the medal tally for the third time in history, but this was the first time the delegation ranked first in a Games held abroad.

The three sports that won the most medals for the Vietnamese sports delegation were Diving (14 gold medals), Wrestling (13 gold medals) and Athletics (12 gold medals). The Vietnamese delegation broke 16 records at the 32nd SEA Games.

Nguyen Thi Oanh is a prominent factor of Vietnamese sports at SEA Games 32.

Among them, the outstanding figure is Nguyen Thi Oanh. She became the first Vietnamese athlete to win 4 individual gold medals in one SEA Games when she came first in the 1,500 meter, 5,000 meter, 3,000 meter steeplechase and 10,000 meter events.

The No. 1 position at the SEA Games shows the progress of Vietnamese sports compared to before. However, the medal tally of the regional games has not reflected the true position of Southeast Asian sports. The evidence is that at the 19th ASIAD, the Vietnamese delegation fell behind Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines in terms of gold medals, ranking only 21st overall.

Shooter Pham Quang Huy won the 19th ASIAD gold medal

The Vietnamese delegation won 3 gold medals at the 19th ASIAD (1 less than the previous 5 years), in which the only victory in the Olympic event was by Pham Quang Huy. This shooter made a splash when he won the first gold medal for Vietnamese shooting after 4 decades of participating in the ASIAD.

Pham Quang Huy competed well in the men's 10m air pistol event, surpassing strong athletes from Korea and Uzbekistan. In addition, the 1996-born shooter was part of the team of 3 athletes who won the bronze medal in the men's 10m air pistol team event.

With impressive achievements at ASIAD 19, Pham Quang Huy was voted the national outstanding athlete of 2023.

Pham Quang Huy won the first ASIAD gold medal for Vietnamese sports in shooting.

Vietnam women's team attends World Cup

2023 marks a memorable milestone in the history of Vietnamese women's football. For the first time, the national women's team will participate in the World Cup. The moment the Vietnamese National Anthem resounds at the world's largest playground is an unforgettable memory for coach Mai Duc Chung and his students as well as millions of fans.

However, the Vietnamese team could not make an impression with victories in their first participation in the tournament. Coach Mai Duc Chung and his team lost all 3 matches, without scoring a goal.

The Vietnamese women's football team first set foot on the world stage.

However, it must be emphasized that the Vietnamese team fell into a difficult group with the appearance of the US (reigning champion) and the Netherlands (reigning runner-up). The remaining team, Portugal, is also superior in terms of physique and technique compared to the Vietnamese team.

In addition to participating in the World Cup, the Vietnamese women's team also achieved impressive results in the region. The team won the SEA Games gold medal for the fourth consecutive time and the eighth time in the history of the event.

Also in 2023, Coach Mai Duc Chung announced his decision to leave the Vietnam women's team after many years of association. This coach wants to rest and leave football for health reasons. However, up to now, no official decision has been made.

Vietnam women's football team won the 2023 sports team award.

Breakthrough of Vietnamese women's volleyball

Right after the women's football team in the 2023 sports team award is the national women's volleyball team. 2023 is a breakthrough year in the international arena for Vietnamese volleyball girls, under the guidance of coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet.

The rise of Vietnamese women's volleyball has been recognized in Asian-level tournaments. The Vietnamese team won the AVC Challenge Cup, ranked fourth at the Asian Championship and the 19th ASIAD - an unprecedented achievement in history.

Vietnam women's volleyball team had a successful 2023.

Difficulty finding a place in the Olympics

Vietnamese sports set a target of 12-15 places to attend the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, up to this point, the journey to achieve that goal has been very arduous and most likely impossible to complete.

Nguyen Thi That (cycling), Trinh Thu Vinh (shooting) and Nguyen Huy Hoang (swimming) are the first three Vietnamese athletes to have a place at next year's Olympics. The next place is likely to belong to Nguyen Thuy Linh (badminton) as she is in the group of athletes who have met the standards according to the world rankings.

Nguyen Thi Tam (boxing) was supposed to be the earliest Vietnamese athlete to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, a serious injury at the 32nd SEA Games prevented her from maintaining her form and she missed several tournaments considered as qualifying rounds for the Olympics.

Hoai Duong

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