Vietnam won the Asian shooting gold medal after being led 10 - 0

In the qualifying round with 23 participating teams, Vietnam ranked first with a total score of 577 after 60 rounds of shooting, while Indonesia ranked second. They had the same 575 points as Taiwan but had more shots close to the bull's eye.

This morning's final match had 15 rounds, Thu Vinh and Quang Huy competed with the pair Darmoyo Arista Perdana Putri - Prabowa Muhamad Iqbal Raia. Each round, one shooter was allowed to shoot one shot, adding up the total of two teammates to calculate the score. The winning team in each round was awarded two points, if there was a tie, each team got one point. The team that reached 16 points first would win.

Vietnam did not start well, losing the first four shots, when Quang Huy and Thu Vinh did not reach 19 points. Then, coach Tran Quoc Cuong used the right to consult. He reminded Thu Vinh and then Quang Huy, before ending with smiles from both teachers and students. After that, Vinh shot 10.2, while Huy only reached 8.7. Darmoyo and Prabowa scored 9.5 and 10.3 respectively, helping Indonesia continue to win and lead 10 - 0.

But in the next round, Vietnam won 18.9 - 17.9 to break the opponent's scoring streak. The two Vietnamese shooters tied the score at 10 - 10 by winning the next four rounds, respectively reaching 20.3, 20.2, 21.3 and 19 points.

The 11th round ended dramatically when the two teams tied for the first time, with a score of 19.8 - 19.8. After that, Vietnam won 20.4 - 17.7, but were equalized when they lost 19.6 - 20.6 in the 13th round.

In the two decisive rounds, the Vietnamese shooters showed a more stable mentality. In round 14, Vinh scored 10.1 and Huy scored 9.9, while Darmoyo and Prabowa scored only 7.6 and 9. In the final round, Vinh scored 9.3, while Darmoyo scored 10.6. However, Quang Huy broke away with a score of 10.5, while Prabowa scored only 9, thereby winning by a narrow margin of 19.8 - 19.6.

After 15 rounds, Vietnam won 17-13. Trinh Thu Vinh and Pham Quang Huy smiled at each other and then punched each other in celebration, after bringing home the first gold medal for Vietnam at the 2025 Asian Shooting Cup. Last year, the pair won the gold medal together in the 10m mixed air pistol at the Asian Championship in Indonesia.

Quang Huy and Thu Vinh are two new stars of Vietnamese air pistols. Quang Huy was born in 1996, belongs to the Hai Phong team and won the first gold medal for Vietnam in the men's 10m air pistol at the 19th ASIAD. Thu Vinh was born in 2000, belongs to the People's Public Security team, with the outstanding achievement of placing fourth in the women's 10m air pistol final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

This afternoon, they continue to compete in the 10m air pistol individual qualifying round, to compete for a ticket to the final on February 13.

The 2025 Asian Shooting Cup will be held in Thailand from February 9 to 22, featuring rifles and air pistols. The top 280 shooters from 23 countries and territories will compete in seven men's, five women's, two mixed and six junior events. However, the tournament will be without shooters from two powerhouses, China and India.

Vietnam participated with 18 athletes. In addition to Thu Vinh and Quang Huy, the team included Ha Minh Thanh, Lai Cong Minh, Le Thi Mong Tuyen, Nguyen Dinh Thanh, Nguyen Thanh Nam, Nguyen Thi Thao, Nguyen Thuy Trang, Nguyen Phan Hien Khanh, Nguyen Tam Quang, Nguyen Thuy Dung, Phan Cong Minh, Phi Thanh Thao, Tran An Tin, Tran Cong Hieu, Trieu Thi Hoa Hong and Vu Tien Nam.

This is one of four important international tournaments for Vietnamese shooting in 2025. After that, the shooters will participate in the Asian Championship in Kazakhstan (August), the World Championship in Egypt (November) and the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand (December).