Waiting for a miracle from the two 'golden arrows'.

THE TEACHER'S UNWAVERING BELIEF IN HIS STUDENTS

Less than two years after joining the national archery team, Le Quoc Phong stunned everyone by securing a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Rarely do experts and coaches in Vietnamese sports confidently assert that their students have a chance to win medals at the 2024 Olympics, but Phong's coach placed unwavering faith in the 24-year-old.

Le Quoc Phong and Korean experts

June 17, 2024, was a memorable milestone in Phong's life. The archer, born in 2000, defeated Ram Krishna Saha (Bangladesh) 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the 2024 World Archery Cup; thereby securing his official ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics. It was a historic moment, but one that encapsulated Phong's persistent training and steady progress.

Phong was born into a farming family in Phu Huu Dong hamlet, Phu Thinh commune (Tam Binh district, Vinh Long province). At the age of 14, while attending Phu Thinh Secondary and High School, teachers from the Vinh Long Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center came to select athletes as part of their annual program. The young student immediately caught the eye of the scouts because of his confidence and unique demeanor. After further testing, the teachers discovered that Phong had the potential to pursue archery, a sport that demands composure, physical endurance, and an iron will.

Ánh Nguyệt and Quốc Phong have arrived in France. The two archers have had their first training session in the country.

Phong was selected for the provincial archery team, and perhaps by fate, he immediately fell in love with it. Mr. Ho Thanh Sang, coach of the Vinh Long archery team, shared: "Phong has a very professional training and competition style. In his daily life, Phong is also always meticulous, and that meticulousness has made him a great athlete." Early on, recognizing him as a potential gem, the Vinh Long Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center provided the best training conditions and registered Phong to participate in competitions to gain experience and hone his skills.

After only two years, Phong was called up to the national youth team. He possessed extraordinary willpower and determination. Seven years later, he was called up to the national team, marking a new milestone in his career. In domestic competitions, the archer from Vinh Long continuously achieved success with 4 gold medals in 2022, 15 gold medals in 2023, and 4 gold medals in 2024. Upon joining the national team, he didn't take long to quickly establish his talent. In May 2024, he became the first Vietnamese archer to win 4th place at the World Archery Championships. A truly proud achievement, further fueling the new hopes of Vietnamese sports.

And just one month later, Phong secured his ticket to Paris, much to the surprise and also the lack of surprise among experts. It was surprising because he had only been on the national team for nearly two years. But it wasn't surprising either, because he is very skilled and talented. Expert and head coach Park Chae-soon revealed that Phong is nurturing a big dream with high determination and daily efforts to perfect his technique, waiting to explode at the Olympics. Along with Do Thi Anh Nguyet, Phong is given special training conditions, with his own modern equipment.

The South Korean expert placed great faith in Phong and dreamed of a new miracle for Vietnamese archery. He shared: "Although he has only been training with the national team for nearly two years, Phong has shown remarkable progress in his professional skills. With his increasingly better achievements, if Phong maintains his form, continuously hones his technique, and has a little luck during competitions, his chances of competing for a medal at the Paris Olympics are very high."

Phong explained: "We maintain a shooting volume of 400-500 shots per day. The closer it gets to the competition, the volume can increase, helping us to perfect our technique."

OVERCOMING YOURSELF

Regarding Do Thi Anh Nguyet, expert and head coach Park Chae-soon commented: "Anh Nguyet has an advantage and more experience compared to Le Quoc Phong because this is Nguyet's second time participating in the Olympic Games, so she has more or less grasped the scope and methods of competition in this great arena."

Do Thi Anh Nguyet is determined to create a surprise at the 2024 Olympics.

REUTERS

The girl born in 2001 has written a new milestone for Vietnamese archery by becoming the first archer to participate in the Olympic Games twice. Previously in Tokyo in 2021, she surprised everyone by securing an Olympic spot at the Asian Championships and was the youngest athlete in the Vietnamese sports delegation at the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to the impact of Covid-19). This time, Nguyệt is among the last five athletes worldwide to be awarded a spot, as the women's recurve archery event received an additional slot due to a withdrawal from another event. Of course, Nguyệt would not have been able to secure one of the last five spots if she hadn't accumulated the necessary points. She achieved a high ranking in the world rankings, earning 27 points at the 2023 Asian Championships, 21 points at the 19th Asian Games, 20 points at the 2023 World Championships, and 17 points in the 2023 Asian Olympic qualifying round.

Anh Nguyet is going to the Olympics for the second time.

Nguyệt had an unsuccessful SEA Games 31 on home soil and failed to win a medal at ASIAD 19. Even at times in domestic competitions, she wasn't performing at her best. But the ticket to the Paris Olympics could be a turning point for her return to glory, with outstanding achievements. She might not be overwhelmed on a major stage like the Olympics. Nguyệt has ample experience, and now is the time for her to showcase her full potential, to live up to the long-held expectations of experts and fans alike. Besides the women's and men's singles recurve archery events, Ánh Nguyệt and Quốc Phong will also compete in the mixed recurve archery event. Everyone is very hopeful! (to be continued)

FIERCE COMPETITION

According to the World Archery Federation rankings, in the men's recurve event, Le Quoc Phong is ranked 46th with 101 points. These points were accumulated through international competitions that awarded points. These include 48 points for finishing fourth at the 2024 World Archery Cup, 24 points for finishing fourth in the 2024 Olympic qualifying round in Turkey, 21 points for finishing ninth at the 2022 World Archery Cup in China, and 8 points for finishing 17th in the Olympic qualifying round in Thailand in December 2023. In this event, the top three athletes are Marcus D'Almeida (Brazil, 359 points), Kim Woo-jin (South Korea, 288 points), and Lee Woo-seok (South Korea, 258 points).

In the women's recurve archery event, Do Thi Anh Nguyet ranked 70th with 85 points. The 23-year-old archer accumulated 27 points for her 7th place finish at the 2023 Asian Championships in Thailand, 21 points for her 9th place finish at the 2022 World Archery Cup in China, 20 points for her 17th place finish at the 2023 World Archery Cup in Germany, and 17 points for her 8th place finish at the Olympic qualifying round in Thailand in November 2023. Casey Kaufhold (USA) ranked first with 313 points, Lim Si-hyeon (South Korea) ranked second with 280 points, and Alejandra Valenia (Italy) ranked third with 275 points.

These rankings are for reference only as we head into the 2024 Olympics. However, it's clear that the path to a medal will be fraught with challenges for the two Vietnamese archers.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chinh-phuc-olympic-cho-ky-tich-tu-2-mui-ten-vang-185240721182057085.htm