Shooting 

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese marksmen are eager to hit their mark once again at the ISSF World Cup Rifle and Pistol events in Ningbo, China.

Among the top contenders are Olympian Trịnh Thu Vinh, who reached the top four, Asian Games champion Phạm Quang Huy competing in pistol events, and SEA Games winner Lê Thị Mộng Tuyền taking part in rifle competitions.

Other key shooters include Hà Minh Thành, Lại Công Minh, Nguyễn Tâm Quang and Trần Công Hiếu. They are part of a strong contingent among 320 athletes from 42 national federations at the Ningbo World Cup.

The competition, running from September 8 to 14, features 10 events – four individual rifle, four individual pistol and two mixed team events across both disciplines.

This marks the team’s second attempt to capture international medals after the recent Asian championship in Kazakhstan.

Vinh secured a bronze in the women’s 25m pistol, the first medal of her career in that category. The 2024 Asian Cup mixed doubles champion said the bronze has given her a strong boost for the rest of the season.

“I was really focused on my shooting and performed my best. The Kazakhstan bronze was really meaningful to me. It motivated my confidence ahead of important events this year and the years to come,” said Vinh.

Meanwhile, a representative from the national team coaching board affirmed that Vinh’s achievement was good. The No 1 female pistol shooter showed her improved expertise after a period of careful preparation.

Vinh has been the first Vietnamese woman to win medals in both 10m air pistol and 25m pistol at the continental championships. These two events are regularly organised in the Asian Games and Olympics, where Việt Nam expects to be in the top three in upcoming editions.

Vinh is world No 35 in the first event and No 10 in the second. In addition to these two events, she will pair with teammate Huy to compete in the 10m mixed doubles event.

With the absence of Suruchi Singh in the women’s 10m air pistol event, a new 2025 winner will be crowned in Ningbo. Title favourite contenders include new Asian champion Ma Qianke and former World Cup winner Yao Qianxun, both from the host nation.

Olympic silver medallist Camille Jedrzejewski will be versatile across 10m and 25m and will seek a double podium as part of her preparations for the ISSF World Championship. Sixth-ranked Shing Ho Ching from Hong Kong-China is also entered.

Both women’s pistol Olympic champions, Oh Ye-jin and Yang Ji-in, are also on the South Korean team for Ningbo, making them among the favourites from the off. Serbia’s Olympic mixed team gold medallist Zorana Arunovic is expected to make an impact.

Huy will compete in the men’s 10m pistol and 25m air pistol events. Since his Asian Games victory in 2022, he has struggled to regain top form in individual events, falling short in several competitions. His best result was the Asian Cup gold in February, when he and Vinh claimed the mixed doubles title.

Later, he took one silver and one bronze in the men’s team events at the Asian championship in June.

He will face strong rivals such as World Cup silver medallists Felipe Wu of Brazil and Anton Aristarkhov of Russia and Olympic silver and bronze medallists Federico Nilo Maldini and Paolo Monna of Italy.

Tuyền was not successful in the Asian competition but is still expected to achieve higher results in three rifle categories in China this week.

Shooting is one of Việt Nam’s strong points in regional and continental Games. Vinh and her teammates shoulder a heavy task to help Việt Nam top the medal tally in the 33rd SEA Games in December in Thailand. They also have to prepare for better results at the Asian Games in 2026 in Japan. — VNS