Vietnamese badminton player Le Duc Phat secured his spot to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics this summer, landing 34th in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism’s Department of Sports and Physical Training reported on Tuesday.

This marks Phat’s first qualification for the Olympics, achieved through relentless dedication over several years -- particularly in the last four months. 

His victory at the Uganda International Challenge 2024 in February reignited his Olympic hopes, and despite setbacks at the Kazakhstan International Challenge 2024, he claimed the 34th spot in the Olympic qualifying rankings with 23,630 points, earning him a ticket to Paris. 

Phat joins Nguyen Thuy Linh as the second Vietnamese badminton player to qualify for the Olympics, pending official confirmation from the BWF, which is expected on May 10. 

Both athletes are currently training with the national badminton team at Bac Ninh Sport University of Vietnam in Bac Ninh Province, northern Vietnam. 

With Phat and Linh’s qualifications, Vietnam now has ten athletes set to compete at the Paris Games, scheduled for July 26 to August 11, leaving the country two short of its target of obtaining 12 Olympic spots this summer.

The eight other Vietnamese athletes qualified for Paris are swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang, cyclist Nguyen Thi That, markswomen Trinh Thu Vinh and Le Thi Mong Tuyen, boxer Vo Thi Kim Anh, weightlifter Trinh Van Vinh, canoeist Nguyen Thi Huong, and rower Pham Thi Hue.

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