Vietnamese athletes Pham Quang Huy and Trinh Thu Vinh won the gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship 2024 in Indonesia on Tuesday.

The duo initially took the lead with impressive scores of 7-1, 9-3, and 15-5, but faced a challenge when Indian opponents Arjun Cheema and Rhythm Sangwan narrowed the gap with a 15-11 victory. 

Despite a strong performance from both Vietnamese athletes, they only managed to eke out a narrow triumph with a 0.2-point lead over their Indian rivals. 

While the gold medal is a promising start for the team at the Asian tournament, it does not count as an Olympic qualifier.

Currently, Vietnam has earned only a single spot for the Paris Games thanks to Trinh Thu Vinh, who achieved a fifth-place finish in the women’s 10m air pistol event at the 2023 ISSF World Shooting Championships in Azerbaijan last August.

The ongoing Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship, which serves as the Asian zonal Olympic qualification, features competitions across 18 classes for men and 14 for women, including four mixed teams. 

Junior athletes have the opportunity to showcase their talents in eight individual and team classes.

Prior to the tournament, Vietnam's head coach Park Chung Gun selected the country’s top 11 athletes to undergo a two-week training course in Jakarta, paving the way for their participation in the event, which will last until January 18.

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