Comparing the strength of Trinh Thu Vinh's 7 opponents in the Olympic shooting final

On July 27, shooter Trinh Thu Vinh officially won 1 of 8 tickets to the finals of the women's 25m sport pistol event. She finished 6 series, including 3 precision series and 3 rapid series, with an average score of 9.783 points.

Thu Vinh also hit the bull's eye 25 times, only behind Veronika Major (Hungary) - the opponent she faced in the final of the women's 10m air pistol event. Major is one of the 7 athletes who threaten Trinh Thu Vinh's ability to compete for a medal.

The list includes: Major Veronika (Hungary), Abeln Katelyn Morgan (USA), Manu Bhaker (India), Zhao Nan (China), Yang Jiin (South Korea), Rostamiyan Haniyeh (Iran) and Jedrzejewski Camille (France).

Veronika Major (Hungary)

At the final, Major Veronika was the highest-ranked shooter in the International Shooting Federation (ISSF) rankings (7th). In 2023 alone, this athlete won 3 gold medals in the women's air pistol events of the ISSF Shooting World Cup.

In September 2023, Major continued to win the national shooting championship at the 25m air pistol distance. She is the leading hope of the Hungarian Sports Delegation at the 2024 Olympics.

Major reached the Olympic final in the 10m air pistol event thanks to an excellent performance in the qualifying round last weekend. However, a poor performance in the final saw her eliminated after just 12 shots.

Manu Bhaker (India)

Manu Bhaker was the one who stripped Trinh Thu Vinh of the 2024 Olympic bronze medal. In the 10m air pistol final, the Indian shooter took full advantage of Thu Vinh's two faulty bullets of 9.2 and 9.7 points to maintain a safe distance from the Vietnamese girl.

Manu Bhaker is quite cunning when it comes to letting his opponents shoot first. Knowing the results of his opponents helps Manu Bhaker adjust his mentality in his own shooting.

However, this is not an advantage for the Indian girl in the final of the women's 25m sport pistol. According to the regulations of the organizing committee, the shooter must hold the gun for 7 seconds and shoot for 3 seconds, after this time, the shot is considered illegal. This means that Manu Bhaker will not be able to observe the opponent's score.

At the age of 22, Bhaker has won 15 gold medals in his career.

In the 2018 Asian Games qualifiers, Bhaker scored a record 593 points in 60 shots in the women's 25m air pistol event. In the same year, she became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games.

The gold medal at the 2024 Shooting World Cup (Baku) helped Bhaker qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Yang Jiin (South Korea)

Before arriving in Paris, Yang Jiin had already brought home a gold medal in the women's 25m sport pistol event at the 2024 World Shooting Championship, taking place in Baku.

25m is Yang Jiin's favorite shooting distance. She is currently ranked 2nd in the world (ISSF rankings) in this event.

Yang Jiin's score in the Olympic qualifying round was 586 points with 19 shots hitting the bull's eye - all of which were worse than Trinh Thu Vinh's.

Hanieh Rostamian (Iran)

Hanieh Rostamian was one of three competitors ranked above Trinh Thu Vinh in the women's 25m sport pistol qualifying round. She scored 588 points, hitting the bull's eye 18 times.

She won a gold medal at the 2022 World Shooting Championships in Brazil. In 2023, she won a gold medal at the same World Shooting Cup held in Azerbaijan.

However, Rostamian has yet to win an Olympic medal after two appearances.

Katelyn Morgan Abeln (USA)

Katelyn Morgan Abeln finished 8th in the qualifying round on August 2, with 585 points (19 shots on target). The 2001-born shooter won a gold medal at the 2022 Americas Continental Cup and two silver medals at the ISSF World Championships in 2018 and 2023.

Paris was the venue for Abeln's first Olympic final since turning professional in 2018.

Camille Jedrzejewski (France)

The French shooter has won two medals at the ISSF junior championships. She first won gold at the 2022 Shooting World Cup, then won silver in the women's 25m sport pistol at the 2023 European Games.

In the qualifying round, Jedrzejewski ranked 7th with 585 points (25 shots on target).

Zhao Nan (China)

Zhao Nan will start shooting professionally in 2022.

She started her career impressively with 3 silver medals at the World Championships, held in Cairo. However, Zhao Nan's achievements were less impressive with 3 bronze medals at the World Cup Las Palmas. In early 2024, Zhao Nan managed to bag a silver medal at the World Championships held in Baku.

Her specialty is the women's 25m sport pistol. She ranked 5th in the qualifying round, just below Trinh Thu Vinh.