Lan was nominated by the Vietnam Athletics Federation for the only Vietnamese Olympic place in track and field, awarded to the Southeast Asian country following its failure to secure an official berth. The nomination has been accepted by the WA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Quach Thi Lan (R) takes a gold medal in the 400m hurdles race at the 2019 Asian Athletics Championships with a time of 56.10 seconds.

This will be the first time the Thanh Hoa-born sprinter has competed in the Olympic arena. She has been designated by the national team’s coaching staff to vie for a medal in the 400m hurdles event, in which she earned the top honour at the 2018 Asian Games (ASIAD) in Indonesia.

There are 40 slots up for grabs in the Tokyo 2020 women’s 400m hurdles race, with a qualifying standard of 55.40 seconds. Three years ago, Lan clinched an ASIAD silver medal with a time of 55.30 seconds, but was then promoted to the gold medal after the Bahraini gold medalist was found guilty of using a banned substance.

Although the time of 55.30 seconds was enough for Lan to secure an official Olympic place, the Vietnamese athlete missed out as 2018 was outside the Olympic qualification period (May 1, 2019-June 29, 2021).

Lan has been administered two shots of Covid-19 vaccine and is ready for the Tokyo Olympic campaign. After returning from Japan, she will continue training in preparation for the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, to be hosted in Vietnam later this year, and is considered the odds-on favourite for the women’s 400m and 400m hurdles titles.

So far, Vietnam has booked 15 places in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, thanks to Truong Thi Kim Tuyen (taekwondo), Nguyen Huy Hoang (swimming), Le Thanh Tung and Dinh Phuong Thanh (gymnastics), Nguyen Van Duong and Nguyen Thi Tam (boxing), Nguyen Tien Minh and Nguyen Thuy Linh (badminton), Do Thi Anh Nguyet and Nguyen Hoang Phi Vu (archery), Luong Thi Thao / Dinh Thi Hao (rowing), Thach Kim Tuan, Vuong Thi Huyen and Hoang Thi Duyen (weightlifting), Quach Thi Lan (athletics), and a soon-to-be-named shooter.

The Tokyo 2020 Games, which were rescheduled until July 23-August 8, 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will see a total of 339 sets of medals awarded across 33 sports.

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Source: NDO