Vietnamese canoeist Diep Thi Huong won a gold medal in the women’s 500m category at the Asian Canoe Sprint Championships 2024, the Vietnam Canoeing, Rowing and Sailing Federation said on April 19.
Taking place in Japan from April 18 to 21, the tournament is also a continental qualifier for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
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| Vietnamese canoeist wins gold medal at Asian championships |
Diep Thi Huong competed with the seven strongest Asian paddlers from Taiwan (China), Thailand, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Japan, and the Republic of Korea on April 19 morning.
The 23-year-old athlete of Vietnam excellently came first in 2 minutes and 18.178 seconds, followed by Kisseleva Ulyana of Kazakhstan with 2 minutes and 26.645 seconds.
The Vietnamese team consists of four athletes competing in four categories – two Olympics qualifiers (C1 200m and C2 500m) and two Asian events (C1 women’s 500m and C2 500m mixed discipline).
Nguyen Thi Huong will compete in C1 200m while Nguyen Hong Thai – Nguyen Thi Huong C2 500m, Diep Thi Huong C1 women’s 500m, and Diep Thi Huong – Duong Anh Duc the C2 500m mixed event.
Before the tournament, the coaching staff of the Vietnamese team also stated that the Asian competitors are very strong and have advantages over Vietnamese teams, so each athlete is aiming for the highest goal when participating in the competition.
According to the regulations of the World Sailing and the International Olympic Committee, the total number of athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics is 336 athletes (168 men, 168 women). May 21 is the final competition time of the Olympic qualifying tournaments and on June 23, the World Sailing will announce the official slots for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
Vietnamese canoeists have never qualified for the Olympics in the past. In their latest tournament at the 2023 World Championships, Nguyen Thi Huong and teammate Nguyen Hong Thai took part in two individual and one-pair events but none of them could advance to the top three.
