HÀ NỘI — Fresh from their success at the 33rd SEA Games, Vietnamese marksmen have little time to rest as they begin a new competitive cycle, targeting strong results at the Asian Games in September in Japan and qualification places for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

At the Thailand Games, Việt Nam topped the medal table with eight golds and three new records. The achievement highlighted the rising level of Vietnamese marksmen in the region and the consistent performance of the entire team across multiple Games.

Among the champions, Trịnh Thu Vinh stood out most, claiming four gold medals and all three records. Her score of 242.7 points in the women’s 10m air pistol surpassed the Asian Games gold-medal mark of 242.1 set by India’s Palak Gulia in 2022 in China.

It was also higher than the Paris Olympics silver-medal score of 241.3 recorded by South Korea’s Kim Yeji. In Paris, Vinh finished fourth with 198.6 points.

The impressive results are seen as strong motivation as the marksmen turn their focus to defending titles at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship 2026, which takes place next month in India.

Alongside Vinh, who is Asia’s number one in the 25m pistol, the squad will include Asian Games champion Phạm Quang Huy, former Asian champion Nguyễn Thùy Trang and SEA Games winners Lê Thị Mộng Tuyền and Hà Minh Thành.

The championship will serve as a crucial test for the Vietnamese team as they prepare for the 2026 Asian Games in September in Japan, offering valuable experience and a benchmark of their readiness against the region’s top competitors.

After the event in India, Việt Nam will also compete at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in July in China. High-performance athletes will earn points toward the Los Angeles Games campaign, as the tournament is an Olympic qualifier.

Shooting is one of several sports receiving long-term support from the government and social resources. The Việt Nam Shooting Federation (VSF) also plans stronger investment to help athletes achieve better results, with the aim of repeating an Olympic gold-medal performance in the near future.

According to VSF President Đỗ Văn Bình, foreign experts will be hired to work with the team, alongside fitness trainers and nutritionists, to support athletes in training and competition. 

“The goal is to help shooters prepare more comprehensively, not only in technique but also in physical condition and psychology before top-level competitions. This is a general trend in world shooting, where the line between medal and failure is sometimes decided by a single breath or a moment of psychological intensity,” he said.

Instead of short training courses before major competitions, athletes will undertake long-term intensive programmes and regularly take part in elite events to sharpen their skills and strengthen their mentality.

“We will also apply science and technology, biomedical science and sports psychology more effectively in our training. Other activities such as analysing shooting data, monitoring heart rate and breathing, managing competition stress and personalising training plans will be expanded so that we can match the level of top-tier national teams worldwide,” Bình said.

Việt Nam’s best Olympic shooting result remains the gold and silver medals won by Hoàng Xuân Vinh at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016. — VNS