Tu pins hopes on London Olympics

Take that: Top national judoka Van Ngoc Tu (in dark) competes in an international event. She has set her sights on the 2012 London Olympics. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI — Top national judo athlete Van Ngoc Tu hopes to collect additional points at the World Judo Grand Prix in Qingdao, China, to secure a spot at next year's Olympics.

At the December 16-18 event, expected to draw around 600 participants from more than 60 countries, Tu plans to do her utmost narrowing the gap between herself and Asia's leading athlete Alexandra Podryadova from Kazakhstan.

Athletes who manage to remain at the top of each continent will win automatic berths to London next summer.

Ranked 49th in the world, Tu is currently second in Asia with 120 points while Podryadova stands on 136. The Kazakhstani has lost thrice against the Vietnamese hopeful.

Tu will leave for China on December 12 to attend a special training course before taking part in the upcoming Grand Prix at which gold medalists will receive US$3,000 and 200 points towards Olympic qualification.

The event in Qingdao is the last stop on the World Judo Grand Prix this year and has the highest prix value in deciding who will advance to London, the deadline of which is May 31.

Following the event, Tu will also compete in Almaty, Paris and Budapest. — VNS

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