When we talk about Vietnamese archery, it’s impossible not to mention Loc Thi Dao, a young girl from the Tay ethnic group, who caused a sensation at the Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines in 2019. In a single day, this athlete born in 1993 won three gold medals: in singles, team and mixed doubles (with Nguyen Hoang Phi Vu). Vietnam also won two gold medals: one thanks to Nguyen Tien Cuong in three-string archery in Singapore in 2015, and the other thanks to Chu Duc Anh in individual recurve archery in Malaysia in 2017.
Loc Thi Dao (second from left) and other members of the archery team train intensively at the National High Performance Athletes Training Center.
PHOTO : KHA HOA
The performance of the Vietnamese archery team was a real encouragement for this Olympic sport that we have invested in in recent years, and also inspired Loc Thi Dao to win three medals at the 2020 Archery Asian Cup. Unfortunately, Dao was unable to participate in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. She also took a break from training for a while to start a family. His absence meant that at the 2021 Southeast Asian Games, hosted in Vietnam, despite the efforts of the other archers on the team, the team won only four silver medals and one bronze, split evenly between the recurve and triple string events.
The return of Lộc Thị Đào brings a lot of hope.
PHOTO : FBNV
The Vietnamese archery and shooting teams were absent from the 32nd Southeast Asian Games. It was not until hosts Thailand included 10 medal events, including individual, team and mixed team events in recurve and doubles, that archery made its return to the Games. It was then that Loc Thi Dao decided to return to competition. She threw herself fully into rigorous training, leaving behind her past glories and bitter lessons, driven by unwavering determination and strength.
Archers check their scores after their shots.
PHOTO : KHA HOA
Although her form is not yet optimal, Loc Thi Dao’s determination and unwavering focus in competition allowed her and her two teammates, Do Thi Anh Nguyet and Trieu Huyen Diep, to reach the quarter-finals of the women’s recurve team archery event at the Asian Championships in Bangladesh in November. With Le Quoc Phong, she also qualified for the second round of the mixed team event at the same continental competition. These first successes not only constitute a springboard for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, but also suggest great prospects for Vietnamese archery in Thailand.
Archers train under the blazing sun.
PHOTO : KHA HOA
Speaking to the press, Mr. Phan Trong Quan, Head of Archery at the Vietnam Sports Department, said: “This continental tournament demonstrated the significant progress made by Vietnamese archery, which has significantly improved its performance in international competitions. Loc Thi Dao’s determined return, along with the efforts of many other athletes, helped instill enthusiasm and confidence throughout the team. For these 33es Southeast Asian Games, we are pinning all our hopes on 16 top athletes. In addition to the experience of Loc Thi Dao, we can cite among the most promising athletes Le Quoc Phong and Do Thi Anh Nguyet. The team also looks forward to the progress of talented young archers such as Le Pham Van Anh and Trieu Huyen Diep. The goal of the whole team is to win 2 to 3 gold medals, both in recurve and three-string bow. »
The confident smile of Do Thi Anh Nguyet
PHOTO : KHA HOA
Will Anh Nguyet and Quoc Phong be strong enough to win the gold medal at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games?
Two archers who participated in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Do Thi Anh Nguyet and Le Quoc Phong, who represent great hopes for Vietnamese archery, are training tirelessly at the National Training Center for High-Performance Athletes (NHON) at the end of November. During our interview, Anh Nguyet and Quoc Phong still have vivid memories of Paris, including fierce fights, in particular Anh Nguyet’s encounter against Iranian Mobina Fallah on penalties, which led to her elimination in the round of 16. Quoc Phong also remembered his match lost by one point in the third round, thus missing the opportunity to face his Moldovan opponent.
Quoc Phong does his best every day, every hour.
PHOTO : KHA HOA
This experience allowed the duo to gain maturity. Ánh Nguyệt is now considered the archer with the best chance of winning the gold medal. Expert Park Chae-soon noted that she has significantly improved her ability to handle the wind, adjust her shooting angle and choose the right moment to shoot her arrow. In addition, his participation in the Olympic Games in Japan and France allowed him to gain confidence. As for Quốc Phong, despite strong competition from Indonesian and Malaysian archers, he remains hopeful.
Ánh Nguyệt will learn many lessons from the 2024 Olympic Games to continue to progress.
PHOTO : QT
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