One Taekwondo berth to the Olympic for Vietnam and expecting one more to come

I read from a source that Vietnamese woman Hoang Ha Giang claimed the title in under-48kg category at the ongoing Asian taekwondo qualifying round for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, securing Vietnam's first spot in the global event, according to local newspaper Youth on Thursday. This is not easy especially Asia is a big continent and it has players from dominant nations of the sport such as Korea, China and Taiwan.Ninety-two taekwondo athletes, including 37 women, from 30 Asian countries and regions, are vying for 24 spots in the games in eight weight categories at the qualifying round.

Vietnamese man Nguyen Van Hung is expected to rank first in the over-80 kg category at the three-day qualifying round, which will conclude in Ho Chi Minh City and this might mean another berth to the Olympics.

Vietnam is also in fact considered one of the nations that has produced really good players as it can be seen that in the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, Vietnamese taekwondo athlete Tran Hieu Ngan won the women's 57-kg silver -- the first ever Olympic medal in Vietnam's sports history.