Martial arts pair off to Olympics
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London calling: Le Huynh Chau wins entry to the 2012 London Olympics after finishing third in the men's under-58kg weight division at the Asian Taekwondo Qualification Tournament. — File Photo |
HA NOI — Two Vietnamese martial artists have won entry to the 2012 London Olympics after finishing second and third at the Asian Taekwondo Qualification Tournament in Bankok, Thailand on Sunday.
In the women's under-67kg, Chu Hoang Dieu Linh won the silver medal after withdrawing from the final because of injury. Hajipourg Sousan of Iran won gold and Gulnafis Aitmu-khambetova of Kazakhstan won the bronze medal.
The 17-year-old had a good start after defeating Sri Lanka's FK Suhal in her first bout. The Hanoian then went on to defeat Sahi Manita of Nepal to reach the final.
Meanwhile, Le Huynh Chau defeated Malaysia's Chong Ryan for the bronze medal in the men's under-58kg. Wei Chen-yang of Chinese Taipei took the gold and Nursultan Mamayev of Kazakhstan the silver.
Chau, who won a bronze at the world event, beat Khalid Zoheb of Pakistan in his first encounter before going on to defeat world No 19 and Southeast Asian Games champion Japoy Lizardo of the Philippines in the quarters.
Viet Nam sent four athletes to compete at the two-day event but only Linh and Chau will be heading to England next year.
A total of 24 athletes – the top three in each of the four male and four female weight categories – qualified for the 2012 Olympics. — VNS