Tuyen takes US Open silver, strengthening hope to win Olympic place

Hanoi: Vietnamese fighter Truong Thi Kim Tuyen won a silver at the US Open taekwondo tournament on February 19 in Nevada. The Vietnamese athlete finished second in the women's U49kg after losing to No 1 seed Daniela Paola Souza of Mexico in the final. On the way to the gold-medal match, Tuyen, who was seeded third, received a bye to advance to the second round where she beat Ashley Choi of the host country 2-0. In the quarter finals, the former Asian champion beat Giulia Clara Sendra from Argentina 2-0 before winning 2-1 over Josipa Kafadar of Canada in the semi-finals. The silver will push Tuyen up on her road to the Paris Olympics which will be her second time at the world largest global sporting festival. The 27-year-old was confident ahead of the Olympic qualifier Asian zone which will be held on March 15-17 in China, last qualification tournament for Vietnamese athletes. "My goal is an official spot at the Paris Games 2024. To me, every rival are in the same level and I have 50-50 chance to win," s he said. "When I am on the competition map, I ask myself to fight my best, showing all skills and technique that I have been practising and owning for years. So that I will never regret when the game is over." Other Vietnamese competitors were ousted early in their categories. Tran Thi Anh Tuyet was defeated 0-2 by Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi of Iran in the women's 57kg class in the second round. Bac Thi Khiem lost 0-2 to Claudia Gallardo of Chile in the quarter-finals of the women's 67kg. At the upcoming China event, to take their Olympic places, Tuyen and teammates will have to be in top two of their categories./. Source: Vietnam News Agency