According to the Vietnam Weightlifting Federation (VWF), weightlifter Nguyen Thi Thiet of the national women’s team will be competed in the women’s 63kg category at the 2008 Beijing Olympics following her success at the Asian Weightlifting Championship in Kanazawa (Japan).

Four years ago, Thiet and her team mate Nguyen Thi Bich Loan were the first Vietnamese weightlifter to compete in the Olympics.

Thiet was awarded a wild card place at the 2004 Athens Olympics after winning a bonze medal at the Asian Championships.

Another male weightlifter, Hoang Anh Tuan, is also hoped to compete at the Olympics after having won two gold medals in the men’s 56kg at the Championship in Kanazawa.

However, he will have to wait until May 31 for the announcement of the International Weightlifting Federation for the list of 170 male weightlifters to qualify for the Olympics in August.

More than 150 Olympic berths were awarded following the results of the World Championship in 2006 and 2007.

So far, 14 Vietnamese athletes have qualified for the Games in the events such as wushu, taekwondo, shooting and table tennis. To date, Vietnam’s best performance at the Olympics was a silver medal rescued by women’s taekwondo artist Tran Hieu Ngan in Sydney in 2000.

At the Asian Weightlifting Championship, which wrapped up on May 1, the Vietnamese women’s team finished second behind Indonesia. The Vietnamese men’s and women’s team combined brought home two golds, six silvers and one bronze medal.    

(Source: CPV)

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