Vietnam’s Linh sets the stage for dominating first Olympic badminton match

Vietnamese badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh had her most memorable win at the Paris Olympics after defeating Australia’s Tiffany Ho 21-6, 21-3 on July 30 (Hanoi time).

Linh, ranked 26th in the world, had no trouble against Ho, who is 55 places below her in the rankings, and took just 30 minutes to finish the match.

She will next play American Beiwen Zhang, the ninth seed at the tournament and world number 11, on July 31.

This will be their second meeting in their careers. The first time they met was in October last year, when Linh won 17-21, 21-12, 24-22 at Finland’s Icy Open. Zhang defeated Ho 21-10, 21-4 in the most memorable match of the tournament on July 29.

The winner of the July 31 match will qualify for the knockout stage.

In swimming, after an unfortunate exit in the men’s 800m on July 29, swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang and his mentor have offered an explanation.

Hoang completed his race in 8 minutes 8.39 seconds, 20 seconds slower than the winner in terms of intensity and 19 seconds slower than his personal best. His poor performance was despite months of serious training in Hungary.

“I have to admit that I did not swim effectively. However, that is the way the world’s swimmers are extremely strong. They are tall and really great. They also have great strategies,” Hoang said.

“I tried my best to improve my ability but they improved. I was overwhelmed by their level and that had a big impact on my performance.”

Mentor Nguyen Hoang Vu said he was shocked by the result.

“As his mentor, I have a responsibility related to this disappointment. It seems that I did not have a stable mindset to help him when competing in this big arena,” he said. “The truth really confirms that we are amazed to see the extraordinary achievements of swimmers around the world.”

Vu added that Hoang, the 2018 Youth Olympic champion, had put in a solid effort but he could not overcome his opponent. The 24-year-old will compete in the 1,500m freestyle on August 3.