The mixed 10m air pistol qualification round, held on the morning of 25/9, consisted of three series of shots, with 60 pellets evenly divided between the two athletes. The top four teams advanced to the finals. The previous ASIAD record of 577 points was set in 2023 by Indian athletes Singh Sarabjot and Thadigol.

Trinh Thu Vinh and Pham Quang Huy competed against 20 other teams. After three series, Vinh scored 96, 99, and 95 points respectively, while Quang Huy achieved 96, 97, and 95. However, their total score of 578 points, one point higher than the previous ASIAD record, was still not enough for the two shooters to reach the finals.

Pham Quang Huy (left) and Trinh Thu Vinh (right) won silver at the 2023 Asian rifle and pistol championship in Indonesia. *Photo: ASC*

Vinh and Huy finished 6th overall. Their score was equal to North Korea, but they had fewer inner tens (15 compared to 24). India led the competition, significantly breaking the ASIAD record and matching the Asian record of 587 points. Iran (584) and South Korea (582) followed. China, fielding a new team, also failed to reach the finals despite winning gold at the previous Asian Games.

In the past, Vinh and Huy had won gold in this event at the 2024 Asian shooting championship and the 2025 Asian shooting cup. Their qualification scores at these two events were 580 and 577 points, respectively.

Before today's event, the two shooters competed in the individual 10m air pistol, but did not advance to the finals for the top 8 shooters. In the qualification rounds, Trinh Thu Vinh ranked 11th in the women's event, and Quang Huy ranked 28th in the men's event. However, Thu Vinh, along with teammates Nguyen Thuy Trang and Bui Thi Thu Thuy, secured a team bronze medal. This remains Vietnam's only medal in shooting at ASIAD 2026.

Born in 1996, Quang Huy is considered a rising star in Vietnamese shooting. He is the son of renowned Vietnamese shooters Pham Cao Son and Dang Thi Hang. At the 2023 ASIAD, he won Vietnam's first shooting gold medal in the men's 10m air pistol event, in addition to a bronze in the men's 10m air pistol team event.

Born in 2000, Thu Vinh, representing the Public Security team, notably finished 4th in the women's 10m air pistol final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the 33rd SEA Games, she won four gold medals, including individual and team 10m air pistol, and individual and team 25m pistol.

The ASIAD 2026 shooting competition is taking place from 20/9 to 1/10 at the Aichi province shooting range. China leads with 9 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze medals. Qatar (2-0-0) and South Korea (1-3-3) follow. India, a strong shooting nation, has yet to secure a gold medal. In Southeast Asia, besides Vietnam's one bronze medal, Thailand and Indonesia have each won one silver medal.

Hieu Luong