London bound: Gymnast Do Thi Ngan Thuong becomes the ninth athlete from Viet Nam to win a spot at the London Olympics. — File Photo

HA NOI — Gymnast Do Thi Ngan Thuong will compete at the Olympics as the first reserve athlete on the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) list following her performance at a tournament in London during January.

In recent international tournaments, several athletes who already grabbed tickets to London suffered injuries, which will force them to miss the world's biggest sporting event.

Second reserve Jordan Rae of New Zealand has filled the remaining berth.

Thuong will be the third female gymnast from Southeast Asia, following teammate Phan Thi Ha Thanh and Heem Wei Lin of Singapore, and the ninth from Viet Nam to earn an Olympic ticket.

She initially gained fame by pocketing five gold medals at three consecutive Southeast Asian Games.

This will be the second Olympics of her career, having received a wild card to compete in Beijing four years ago.

Viet Nam's other Olympic athletes include Thanh and Pham Phuoc Hung in gymnastics, Le Huynh Chau and Chu Hoang Dieu Linh in taekwondo, Hoang Xuan Vinh and Pham Hoang Ngoc in shooting, Van Ngoc Tu in judo and Nguyen Thi Lua in wrestling. — VNS