ASIAD 2018: Can Vietnam win 3 gold medals?
(Baonghean.vn) - At the 16th ASIAD in 2010, Vietnamese sports set a target of 6 gold medals, and at the 17th ASIAD (2014), the target was 2-3 gold medals, but in the end, in both ASIADs, we only had 1 gold medal. In 2010, it was Le Bich Phuong (karate) and in 2014, it was Duong Thuy Vi (wushu). So can Vietnam achieve 3 gold medals at the 2018 ASIAD?
Winning a gold medal at a continental sports event has never been a simple matter. Sports powers such as South Korea, Japan and China have made long-term, methodical investments in preparation for the 18th ASIAD.
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First of all, it must be said that Vietnamese sports have athletes who are capable of competing for continental gold medals, but do not have an absolute advantage. Therefore, setting a target of 3 gold medals but not winning that number is not a mistake and is not disappointing.
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| Pencak Silat can win 1-2 gold medals at ASIAD 2018. Photo: Internet |
Since Vietnamese sports integrated with the world, there have only been 2 ASIADs where we have won more than 1 gold medal. Those were ASIAD 2002 and ASIAD 2006. In 2002, Tran Dinh Hoa (billiards), Vu Kim Anh, Nguyen Trong Bao Ngoc (karate) and Ly Duc (bodybuilding) helped Vietnamese sports win 4 gold medals. 4 years later, the two team events and women's sepak takraw doubles with Vu Thi Nguyet Anh (karate) brought home 3 gold medals for the Vietnamese Sports Delegation.
Expert Nguyen Hong Minh, former Head of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation, pointed out that the sports in which Vietnam can win gold medals at the 2018 ASIAD include: Athletics, Pencak Silat, Weightlifting, and Shooting. Other sports such as volleyball, football, swimming, etc. are only for practice and learning experience.
The reason we say “ability” is because our athletes have not yet created a gap and surpassed their opponents. To do so, the distance events must leave the athletes far behind their opponents, the scoring events must create a big gap, or the competition events must be won many times.
According to our observations, only in Pencak Silat, Vietnam and host Indonesia are the two strongest countries in the world. Although many events have been cut, Vietnam still has a great chance of winning 1-2 gold medals in this sport.
Surprisingly, it is not Hoang Xuan Vinh, who won the 2016 Olympic gold medal in shooting, or Anh Vien, who is expected to be the next. Simply put, in Asia, Korean, Chinese and Japanese shooters are quite strong. Recently, Chinese and Japanese swimmers have been taking turns dominating and sharing most of the medals.
Hope
Experts pay attention to cyclist Nguyen Thi That, journalist Dang Viet Cuong commented: "Although she is rarely mentioned, That recently won the Asian gold medal and defeated the strongest athletes of the continent. If she can maintain her form, That is completely capable of winning the gold medal."
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| Cyclist Nguyen Thi That is expected to win a gold medal. Photo: Internet |
The remaining competitions such as: Athletics, karate, weightlifting, wushu, shooting... are all 50-50, depending a lot on the athlete's mentality, refereeing and luck.
At ASIAD 2018, the Vietnamese sports delegation will participate with 532 members, the largest number in the Asian Games to date. With a strong force, competing in many events of the Games, and being well prepared, this time "bringing the bell to strike in a foreign land", Vietnamese sports set the target of winning at least 3 gold medals.
In fact, this is not a surprising target but is completely well-calculated, especially when compared to the two most recent ASIADs.
