Vietnam’s Medal Drought Continues: A Performance Review

The Vietnamese sports delegation's hopes of securing a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics have been dashed, marking a disappointing end to their campaign. This outcome continues a medal drought for the country, stretching back to the previous Games, and underscores a notable downturn in their international sporting prowess.

Administrator

13 August, 2024

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Vietnam’s medal hopes at the Paris Olympics were dashed on Wednesday night as weightlifter Trinh Van Vinh could not deliver a winning performance in the men’s 61kg category.

With Vinh’s failure, the Vietnamese athletic contingent’s dreams of securing a medal at this year’s Olympics were all but extinguished, except for canoeist Nguyen Thi Huong, who will compete on Thursday afternoon (Vietnam time). However, experts predict that Huong’s chances of winning are slim to none.

The majority of the Vietnamese delegation has already returned home, with only a few athletes left to compete in Paris.

Vietnamese shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh celebrates his gold medal win at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Photo: H.D. / Tuoi Tre

A History of Vietnam’s Olympic Journey

Vietnam first participated in the Olympic Games in 1952 and has since been a regular contender at the Summer Olympics, marking its presence at 17 iterations of the prestigious event.

The country’s inaugural Olympic medal came in the form of a silver medal, won by taekwondo fighter Tran Hieu Ngan in the women’s 57kg category at the Sydney 2000 Games. This was a historic moment for Vietnamese sports.

Eight years later, at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, weightlifter Hoang Anh Tuan added another silver medal to Vietnam’s tally in the men’s 56kg weightlifting category. His total lift of 292kg was just shy of the gold medalist’s lift by 2kg.

Hoang Anh Tuan, Vietnamese weightlifter, competes in the men’s 56kg weightlifting category at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. File photo.

Vietnam’s medal count continued to grow at the London 2012 Olympics, where weightlifter Tran Le Quoc Toan secured a bronze medal in the men’s 56kg category.

The Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 marked a historic moment for Vietnam as marksman Hoang Xuan Vinh clinched one gold and one silver medal, becoming the most decorated Vietnamese athlete in Olympic history.

To date, Vietnam has accumulated five Olympic medals across 17 Summer Olympic appearances, with four athletes contributing to this tally.

However, this number has stagnated over the last eight years, with no additional medals won at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to COVID-19) or the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics.

Vietnamese markswoman Trinh Thu Vinh. Photo: Reuters

A Decline in Sporting Performance

Vietnam’s sporting performance has not only been lackluster in recent years, but it has also shown a gradual decline in competitiveness.

From the Atlanta 1996 Olympics to the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Games, Vietnam consistently increased its number of participating athletes. However, this number has decreased in recent iterations, with 18 athletes in Tokyo 2020 and only 16 in Paris 2024.

Additionally, marksman Hoang Xuan Vinh, a previous medal hopeful, could not replicate his past success in Tokyo 2020, failing to advance past the qualifying round.

Vietnamese athletes in various sports, including athletics, swimming, badminton, boxing, gymnastics, and rowing, primarily participated for the experience rather than medal contention.

Trinh Van Vinh, a Vietnamese weightlifter, reacts after failing to lift any weight in the men’s 61kg weightlifting event at the Paris 2024 Olympics on August 7, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Weightlifting, considered Vietnam’s most promising sport for medals, also fell short of expectations. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, weightlifter Hoang Thi Duyen placed fifth in the women’s 59kg category, just shy of a bronze medal by 6kg.

With the conclusion of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Vietnam reflects on a disappointing performance and the broader issue of a lacking pipeline of athletes with potential to compete for Olympic medals.