Weightlifting earns Vietnam three more berths in Tokyo Olympics

Weightlifters Thach Kim Tuan, Vuong Thi Huyen and Hoang Thi Duyen have qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, raising the total number of Vietnam’s official berths in the upcoming Games to 14.

Vietnamese weightlifter Thach Kim Tuan will compete in the men's 61kg category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Vietnamese weightlifter Thach Kim Tuan will compete in the men's 61kg category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The confirmation on the quotas was made by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) in its notice sent to the Vietnam Weightlifting Federation on Saturday (June 12).

Although having accumulated enough points through qualifying competitions, Tuan, Huyen and Duyen had yet to be officially awarded Olympic slots as the IWF was still considering the possible imposition of sanctions on Vietnamese weightlifting at the request of the International Testing Agency (ITA).

Specifically, on May 28, the ITA proposed the IWF impose sanctions on Vietnam as the country had four doping cases, all for steroids, during the Olympic qualifying period.

The International Weightlifting Federation confirms the Olympic eligibility for the three Vietnamese athletes in its notice sent to the Vietnam Weightlifting Federation.

After two weeks of consideration, the IWF has decided not to ban Vietnamese weightlifting from the Tokyo Olympics, which means that the athletes who have met standards will be eligible to compete in the world’s largest sporting event.

At the 2020 Games, Thach Kim Tuan will battle it out for top honour in the men’s 61kg, while Vuong Thi Huyen and Hoang Thi Duyen will vie for medals in the women’s 49kg and 59kg, respectively.

So far, 14 Vietnamese athletes have booked their places in the Tokyo Olympics, slated for July 23-August 8, 2021, namely Truong Thi Kim Tuyen (taekwondo), Nguyen Huy Hoang (swimming), Le Thanh Tung and Dinh Phuong Thanh (gymnastics), Nguyen Van Duong and Nguyen Thi Tam (boxing), Nguyen Tien Minh and Nguyen Thuy Linh (badminton), Do Thi Anh Nguyet and Nguyen Hoang Phi Vu (archery), Luong Thi Thao / Dinh Thi Hao (rowing), and Thach Kim Tuan, Vuong Thi Huyen and Hoang Thi Duyen (weightlifting).