Straight shooter: Olympian Hoang Xuan Vinh (pictured) and teammate Kieu Thanh Tu are representing Viet Nam at the ISSF World Cup Finals in Munich, Germany. — VNS File Photo

HA NOI (VNS)— Hoang Xuan Vinh is expected to perform well at the ISSF World Cup Finals, which start today in Munich, Germany.

Vinh is one of two Vietnamese directly invited by the International Sport Shooting Federation (ISSF) to participate in the competition, which gathers the world's leading marksmen.

Vinh and Kieu Thanh Tu, the other shooter from Viet Nam, are the most successful athletes this season.

The former placed fourth at the London Olympics' men's 10m air pistol event. He then pocketed a gold medal at the Asian championships four months later.

The Hanoian shooter kicked off 2013 with a historic achievement. He was the first Vietnamese to taste victory at a World Cup in South Korea.

This made him the first athlete from the country to receive an official invitation to Munich.

After a short period of training in South Korea, Vinh, 39, set a new national record in this category with 202.5 points at the National Shooting Championships on October 28. Tu, who is not as well-known as his teammate, placed fifth at the World Cup Series in Munich in May.

That was enough for ISSF to give him an offer to compete in the 25m rapid pistol event.

The tournament will last until November 12.

Last year Viet Nam had only one representative, Ha Minh Thanh.

The World Cup Finals are organised every year as a conclusion of the ISSF World Cup Series, with two separate events for rifle/pistol and shotgun.

At the end of the World Cup Series, the top eight athletes in each event with the highest qualification values will qualify for the Finals.

Wild cards are granted to the Title Defenders and, in the years of the Olympic Games and of the World Championships, to the three medallists in each event. — VNS

SE Asia Champs begin

Vietnamese marksmen will compete at the Southeast Asian Shooting Championships, which kick off today in Malaysia.

Fifty shooters will compete in almost 20 categories for juniors and seniors.

This is the last chance for Vietnamese managers to test athletes ahead of the Myanmar SEA Games next month and select the best talents to prepare for the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea.

The tournament will conclude on November 12.

Last year, Viet Nam placed second behind hosts Malaysia with nine golds. — VNS