Canoeing, rowing win Vietnam two more tickets to Paris Olympics

Nguyen Thi Huong (L) wins a silver medal and Olympic qualification in the Asian Canoe Sprint Championships on April 21, 2024. Photo by Canoeing & Rowing Vietnam

Competing in the women’s C1 200m event at the 2024 Asian Canoe Sprint Championships in Japan on Sunday, Nguyen Thi Huong finished second with a time of 49.351 seconds, earning one of the two spots available for Olympic qualification. She was just behind Nilufar Zokirova of Uzbekistan.

In this event, the two top spots win tickets to the Paris Games. This marks the first time a Vietnamese canoeist will compete at the Olympics, representing a significant milestone for Vietnam’s sports.

Also on Sunday1, Pham Thi Hue finished in the top 5 to secure the ninth Olympic spot for Vietnam at the women’s singles sculls final in the World Rowing Asian and Oceanian Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta in the Republic of Korea.

With Huong and Hue’s qualification, Vietnam now boasts nine athletes set to compete in Paris. They include Nguyen Thi That (cycling), Trinh Thu Vinh and Le Thi Mong Tuyen (shooting), Vo Thi Kim Anh (boxing), Nguyen Huy Hoang (swimming), Trinh Van Vinh (weightlifting), Nguyen Thuy Linh (badminton), Nguyen Thi Huong (canoeing) and Pham Thi Hue (rowing).