Vietnamese shooter wins Olympic berth

Hoang Xuan Vinh has become the first ever Vietnamese shooter to win an official Olympics berth.

Vinh won 682.4 points in the men’s 10-meter air gun event on Monday at the January 11-22 Asian Shooting Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Vinh finished fourth behind the gold medal winner from South Korea, Jin Jong Oh with 689.6 points, silver medalist from China, Wang Zhiwei with 683.1 points and Japanese bronze medal winner Matsuda Tomoyuki with 682.7 points.

However, the 37-year-old Vinh won an Olympic berth because the other three medalists had already qualified for the London Games before.

Vietnamese shooters have been given berths at previous Olympic Games but they were only wild card entries for countries underdeveloped in sports.

Vinh is the eighth Vietnamese athlete to have won a London Olympics berth.

The other seven athletes are female judo martial artist Van Ngoc Tu, male badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh, female taekwondo martial artist Chu Hoang Dieu Linh and male taekwondo martial artist Le Huynh Chau, male gymnast Pham Phuoc Hung, female gymnast Phan Ha Thanh and male swimmer Hoang Quy Phuoc,

Vietnam has set itself a target of winning 25 Olympic berths including wild card entries.

By Lan Phuong, Thanh Nien News

Vietnamese marksman qualifies for 2012 London Olympics

Vietnamese marksman Hoang Xuan Vinh has earned a place in the 2012 London Olympics following outstanding results at the ongoing Asian Shooting Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Vinh, 37, earned 682.4 points, coming in fourth in the men’s 10m air pistol event and making him the first Vietnamese shooter to gain entrance to the Olympic Games.

It was a surprise for the Vietnamese shooting team as experts have high hopes for ASIAD silver medalist Ha Minh Thanh who will compete in the 25m air pistol event on January 17.

At the recent 26th SEA Games in Indonesia, Vinh also won the first gold medal for the Vietnamese shooting team.

So far, seven Vietnamese athletes have qualified for the Olympics.

dtinews.vn

Hung secures all-around berth to London Olympics

Moving on: Gymnast Pham Phuoc Hung performs in the pommel horse event at the National Gymnastic Championship. He has managed to qualify for this year London Olympics. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Truong

HA NOI — Male gymnast Pham Phuoc Hung secured a place to compete at the London Olympic Games after narrowly making the cut at the Olympic Games Test Event in England on Wednesday.

The qualifying event for the all-round gymnastics competition at the Olympics saw athletes vie for one of 27 tickets to the games. Hung secured the 26th place, becoming the second Vietnamese gymnast to secure a place at the summer Olympics.

Hung has excelled in competitions recently, winning two gold medals at the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia last November.

Hung, 24, who entered the men's gymnastics programme when he was seven, finished fourth in the men's individual parallel bars at the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Portugal.

The Hanoian, who has been training in China since 1998, will be a contender in the men's all-around competition in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Viet Nam's first gymnast to win a ticket to the Olympics was 21-year-old Phan Thi Ha Thanh.

Hailing from the northern port city of Hai Phong, Thanh won a bronze medal at the recent world event.

So far Viet Nam has five athletes on their way to London: gymnasts Thanh and Hung, taekwondo artists Le Huynh Chau and Chu Hoang Dieu Linh, and judoka Van Ngoc Tu.

In addition, top Vietnamese badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh is expected to play in London as he is ranked eighth in the world. — VNS

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