Minh, 36, is the only Vietnamese player who has taken part in three Olympic tournaments since the 2008 Bejing Games.

His outstanding career has made him the national No 1 in badminton for more than two decades.

Nguyen Tien Minh will continue seeking his fourth Olympic spot by taking part in the Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters in Bangkok from January 21-26.

Minh is currently No 52 in the world and his Olympics’ qualified ranking is No 24. If he could maintain his position until April 30, he will be heading to Japan.

“2020 Olympics is an important competition. I will try my best to win a place there. This year, I have also set a target for myself to be in the world top 30 too,” said Minh.

“I have had successful tournaments in 2019 which bring me a lot of points for the world ranking. Currently I have about 70 per cent chance to take part.”

Minh won three international titles at the Yonex North Harbour International, the Yonex Waikato International, both in New Zealand, and the Logas International Badminton Classics in Nigeria.

He also advanced to the semi-final of the Je Wilson International Series in Ghana and quarter-finals of four different tournaments including the Vietnam Open.

His best result of the year was a bronze medal at the Asian championship in April. It was the first time a Vietnamese had reached the top three of the continental competition.

Minh was also the first Vietnamese athlete to finish third at the world championship in 2013.

He is the only athlete to enter world top 10 in 2009-12 and his highest position was No 4 in 2010.

To improve his world ranking, Minh has to take part in between 12-14 international tournaments per year. To maintain the current position, he needs to play in a number of other tournaments before the end of April.

He will start his 2020 at the Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters in Bangkok from January 21-26.

Bac Giang bags 8 medals at national badminton championship for middle-aged and old players

(BGO) - The National Badminton Championship for the Middle-Aged and Old Players took place from 12 to 18 September in Da Lat city, the Central Highland province of Lam Dong by the  General Department of Sports, Vietnam Association of the Elderly, Vietnam National Olympic Committee and Vietnam Badminton Federation.

Vu Thi Trang creates Vietnamese badminton history

(BGO) – The Bac Giang born player Vu Thi Trang (world No 74) on August 20 made big surprise at the Badminton World Championship 2019 held in the Switzerland after defeating No.15 seed Line Kjaersfeldt of Denmark (world No 17) to secure the ticket to third round of the women’s singles.

Bac Giang team wins 9 medals at National Badminton, Table Tennis Championship for Families

(BGO) – The National Badminton and Table Tennis Championship for Families in 2019 was jointly organized by Vietnam Sports Administration and the Department of Culture and Sports in Thua Thien Hue province, drawing 328 athletes from 31 provinces, cities and sectors across the nation.

Bac Giang’s team win first overall place at national badminton tourney 2019 for excellent junior players

(BGO) – The National Badminton Championship 2019 for the Excellent Junior Players took place from July 14 – 21 at the Sports Competition Hall in Tay Ninh province, drawing the participation of more than 230 players from 25 provinces, cities and sectors nationwide.

Bac Giang team rank second at National Youth Badminton Tournament

(BGO) - The National Youth Badminton Championship 2019 has been launched at Tien Son Sports Complex in the central coastal city of Da Nang. This tournament attracted nearly 500 participants from 40 provinces and cities nationwide.

Source: VNA