Vietnamese athletics team gears up for ASIAD 19

The Vietnamese athletics team are gearing up for the Asian Games (ASIAD) 19 to be held in China in September.

Nguyen Thi Oanh competes in SEA Games 32

General Secretary of the Vietnam Athletics Federation Nguyen Manh Hung said that the Vietnamese athletics team are given priority to train and compete in several countries to have the best preparation for the event in China.

Vietnamese players will take part in the Asian Athletics Championships slated to kick off in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 12.

The trip to Thailand is also considered an intensive training session to prepare for the ASIAD. Most of the key members of the team left for Thailand to practice.

Thailand is a favourite of the countries chosen by the coaching staff as a training location since the COVID-19 outbreak. Last year, the team had several training sessions combined with a competition there.

After the Asian Athletics Championships, the Vietnamese track and field team plans to train in Shanghai in China in September and then move to Hangzhou to attend the 19th ASIAD.

Vietnam will send a 20-strong team to the Thai event. Among the Vietnamese athletes are SEA Games champions Nguyen Thi Oanh, Nguyen Thi Huyen, Nguyen Thi Hang and Luong Duc Phuoc.

At the ASIAD 19, the golden hope of Vietnamese athletics is still placed in runner Oanh who has recently made history with four golds gained at the SEA Games 32 in Cambodia. Besides, the training board also hopes that young athletes such as Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Luong Trung Cuong and Huynh Thi My Tien can create miracles to help Vietnam win medals.

The upcoming ASIAD is an important event for Vietnamese sports and athletics is still one of those with high expectations of winning gold. In the ASIAD 18 games held in Indonesia in 2018, Vietnam earned two gold medals thanks to long jumper Bui Thi Thu Thao  and Quach Thi Lan in the women's 400m hurdles.

At the ASIAD 18, Oanh also won a bronze medal in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase.

Following the ASIAD 19, Vietnamese athletics will close with an important tournament, the national championship scheduled to be held in Hanoi on October 20-28.

ASIAD 19 will be held in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, China from September 23 to October 8 this year with 40 sports in 55 venues. It will see the participation of 45 delegations from countries and territories across Asia.

According to Dang Ha Viet, general director of the National Sports Administration, the Vietnamese delegation will participate in 32 sports at the ASIAD 19, but the industry only focuses on strong sports, including athletics.

Viet said  national teams have preliminarily registered their participation in the Asian Games. Coaches are implementing lesson plans to help athletes achieve their best form for the ASIAD.

Hoang Quoc Vinh, head of the Elite Sports 1 Department of National Sports Administration said: "We will attend the Asian Games with a strong team for the most effective performance"./.

VNA