Tien Nhat (left) became the eleventh Vietnamese athlete to qualify for the 2012 Olympics
Tien Nhat trounced Japan’s Nishida Shogo by a score of 15-13 in the quarter-finals before thrashing Leung Ka Ming from Hong Kong (China) 15-10 in the semi-finals to advance to the decisive game.
Despite losing 7-15 to Uzbekistan’s Kudayev Ruslan in the finals, Tien Nhat still secured one of the official Olympic tickets that were awarded to the top three fencers in this category.
Nhat, 22, won a gold medal at the 2011 National Fencing Championships and two bronzes at the 26th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the men’s epee event.
Tien Nhat is the eleventh Vietnamese athlete to qualify for the world’s biggest sporting event in London this summer after Pham Phuoc Hung, Phan Thi Ha Thanh and Do Thi Ngan Thuong (gymnastics), Le Huynh Chau and Chu Hoang Dieu Linh (taekwondo), Nguyen Tien Minh (badminton), Hoang Xuan Vinh and Le Thi Hoang Ngoc (shooting), Van Ngoc Tu (judo) and Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc (track and field).