Duong Thuy Vi - the golden hope of the Vietnamese wushu team at the 19th ASIAD.

Why doesn't the Vietnamese wushu team set a specific target for medals? According to coach Nguyen Van Chuong's analysis, wushu is a martial art originating from China, so the host's martial artists are expected to have outstanding achievements at ASIAD 19. In addition to China, the teams: Hong Kong (China), Taipei-China or South Korea are also very strong in this martial art. "At ASIAD 19, the Vietnamese wushu team will send 13 athletes to compete. All martial artists have the opportunity to compete for medals, but we cannot say anything in advance. In wushu competition, a lot depends on psychology, technique, and tactics, so our martial artists aim to do their best for the flag," said coach Nguyen Van Chuong.

Because there are not many international wushu tournaments, the Vietnamese wushu team is currently training domestically. It is expected that in August, the entire team will participate in training in China to find their peak form to compete at ASIAD 19. Mr. Vu Van Trung, in charge of the wushu department (General Department of Sports and Physical Training), said: "The golden hope for Vietnamese wushu at ASIAD 19 is still female martial artist Duong Thuy Vi, who won the gold medal at ASIAD 17 in 2014, so she is still expected to win the championship at ASIAD 19. This goal is completely reasonable because some of the competitions that are combined to calculate points (swordsmanship and spearmanship) at SEA Games 32 overlap with the competitions at ASIAD 19. At SEA Games 32, Thuy Vi won the gold medal in this event with a high score. In addition, we expect Nong Van Huu, Nguyen Thi Hien or Nguyen Le Chi... to win medals".

At the 17th Asian Games in 2014, Duong Thuy Vi, at the age of 24, shone brightly. Now that Duong Thuy Vi is over 30 years old, she will face certain difficulties and advantages. Coach Nguyen Van Chuong assessed: “Currently, Thuy Vi's physical strength and agility are not as good as before. However, in return, Thuy Vi has experience and courage, and these are two important factors in wushu. We have high expectations for Thuy Vi.”

In addition to the hope of winning medals in some performance events, the Vietnamese wushu team also has high hopes for the Sanshou martial artists, who won 4 gold medals at the 32nd SEA Games. At the 19th ASIAD, the Vietnamese wushu martial artists will compete in 6 events (4 men, 2 women). Sharing about the team's goals, the coach in charge of the Sanshou of the Vietnamese wushu team, Phan Quoc Vinh, affirmed: "It is very difficult for us to compete with the martial artists of the host country, China. However, the Vietnamese martial artists are seriously and thoughtfully preparing in terms of expertise, courage and spirit to be determined to compete at the Asian Games."

Article and photos: VIET AN