Vietnamese weightlifter determines to gain Olympic medal

HANOI, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese weightlifter Hoang Anh Tuan, who won the men's 56kg division at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Japan late last month, said he is practicing hard so as to bag home an Olympic medal.

"I'm not 100 percent sure that I will be successful at the 2008Olympic Games. But, as an Asian champion, I have the right to hope, and try my best to gain an Olympic medal," local newspaper Youth on Friday quoted Tuan as saying.

He said his three hottest rivals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are from China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Indonesia. He is going to undergo an intensive training course in Bulgaria.

Although no official announcement about Tuan's berth at Beijing2008 Olympic Games has been made so far, he is sure to secure a place at the global sports event slated for August, the newspaper said.

To date, Vietnam has had four official berths for three taekwondo fighters and one table tennis player; two preference berths for one gymnastics athlete and one shooter; and eight berths for wushu performance.

Vietnam bagged home its first-ever Olympic medal with woman athlete Tran Hieu Ngan taking a taekwondo silver medal at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.