The opponent is too strong, what does the coach say?
According to the draw results in the early morning of July 26, in the women's 54 kg weight class, Vo Thi Kim Anh fell into a very difficult bracket. Her opponent in the opening match was Preeti Pawar, a 21-year-old Indian boxer - a bronze medalist at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou (China) and a finalist in the 1/8 round of the 2023 World Championship.
Coach Nguyen Nhu Cuong determined that this is a strong opponent, with very fast and powerful punches on both sides, especially the left punches that are very annoying and will be quite difficult for Kim Anh. But that does not mean that the Vietnamese boxer has no chance because once she is rated lower, Kim Anh will not be under too much pressure to perform. She will be mentally comfortable to be able to make her mark.
Kim Anh (left)
54 kg draw results, Kim Anh falls into the difficult bracket
Kim Anh’s draw is also full of tough opponents, because if she passes the first round, the 27-year-old girl from An Giang can meet Yeni Arias, a Colombian boxer, the current champion of the Americas, the current world runner-up and the second seed at the Olympics. That alone is enough to see how difficult and challenging Kim Anh is. Kim Anh’s 54kg match with Indian boxer Preeti will take place at 8:32 p.m. on July 27 (1:32 a.m. Vietnam time on July 28).
Unpredictable unknown
Meanwhile, Ha Thi Linh will compete in the 60 kg category against Feofaaki Epenisa, a boxer from the island nation of Tonga in Oceania. The opponent is an unknown and there is not much information on the international arena, so it cannot be confirmed that Ha Thi Linh will have an advantage in winning a ticket to the next round. However, compared to Kim Anh, it is clear that the 31-year-old girl from Lao Cai will have a much easier time. If she wins the first round, a big challenge will come to Ha Thi Linh when she meets Chinese boxer Yang Wen Lu, who defeated her at the 2022 ASIAD and then won the championship.
Ha Thi Linh (right)
Coach Nguyen Nhu Cuong and two boxers Vo Thi Kim Anh (left) and Ha Thi Linh
This is a strong opponent and is currently the number 1 seed, so it will not be easy for the Vietnamese boxer. But who knows, if she passes the first round, Ha Thi Linh will have better concentration, determined to get revenge on this opponent who is 2 years older than her and has fast punches. Ha Thi Linh's opening match will be with Tonga's Feofaki Epenisa at 4:18 p.m. (9:18 p.m. Vietnam time) on July 27.
60 kg weight class draw results, Ha Thi Linh has an easy start but will meet her old friend if she reaches round 2
Who is rower Pham Thi Hue competing against?
Also on July 27, rower Pham Thi Hue will compete in the 2000m heavyweight boat qualifying round in the 5th heat. There are a total of 30 athletes divided into 6 heats. In the 5th heat of the 34-year-old Vietnamese girl, there are 4 athletes from Germany, Bulgaria, Singapore and Azerbaijan.
As usual, the Organizing Committee will use the results to select the 12 best athletes for round 2. Pham Thi Hue will compete at Nautica St Flat Water at 10:12 on July 27 (15:12 Vietnam time).
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