Three SEA Games 32 characters inspire young people

The 32nd SEA Games officially ended exactly one month ago, but the impressive stories of the regional sports festival in Cambodia will certainly remain in the hearts of fans.

From the writing contest about "Inspiring characters at SEA Games 32" of Tuoi Tre newspaper, many faces were mentioned by fans and according to the voting results of the jury as well as readers, three female athletes Tran Mai Ngoc (table tennis), Nguyen Thi Oanh (athletics) and Bou Samnang (Cambodia, athletics) were the chosen characters.

Inspirational characters from SEA Games 32

At 19 years old but with 11 years of experience in table tennis, Tran Mai Ngoc never thought that she and her teammate Dinh Anh Hoang would be able to repeat the SEA Games championship in mixed doubles that coach Vu Manh Cuong - along with Ngo Thu Thuy - won at the 1997 SEA Games.

Having lost their father at the age of 2 and their mother struggling to raise three children with the meager income of a garment factory worker in Binh Duong, Tran Mai Ngoc and her twin sister Tran Ngoc Nga chose to practice table tennis at the T&T "stove" in Hanoi to help their mother ease the burden of making a living.

Table tennis player Tran Mai Ngoc

Away from her mother since she was 8 years old and only able to return home once a year to visit her family during Tet, Tran Mai Ngoc initially cried a lot and always wished her mother was by her side in times of joy and sadness.

Having lived in the capital for so long, Mai Ngoc can no longer speak with a southern accent. The twin sisters, Mai Ngoc is left-handed and Ngoc Nga is right-handed, are a perfect match, having won the women's doubles championship many times in youth tournaments.

Mai Ngoc and Anh Hoang won the mixed doubles gold medal after 26 years for Vietnamese table tennis

When Mai Ngoc shone with the gold medal in mixed doubles table tennis at the 32nd SEA Games, everyone was really surprised to know that her younger sister Ngoc Nga was no longer passionate about table tennis and had quit nearly 2 years ago.

Mai Ngoc's mother said that if Ngoc Nga wants to return to compete alongside her sister, she will definitely support her two talented daughters to satisfy their passion.

Bou Samnang and Nguyen Thi Oanh at the exchange and award ceremony

Nguyen Thi Oanh has now become a familiar face to fans with her great achievements. The miracle of the "golden girl", "superwoman of the track" or "lungless champion" at SEA Games 32 deserves to be mentioned by fans in the country and the region, and always respected by opponents.

Nguyen Thi Oanh (561) won 4 gold medals at SEA Games 32

In just over 30 minutes, the girl from Bac Giang province won two difficult races: 1,500m and 3,000m obstacle course.

When the match schedule was suddenly changed at the last minute, many people were worried whether Oanh could handle it or not. As usual, this petite girl quietly went on the field, competed and won.

Not only is it a miracle, the way Nguyen Thi Oanh went out on the field and faced difficulties is a symbol of the perseverance of Vietnamese women. No matter how difficult it was, she never once complained!

Bou Samnang ran alone to the finish line in the rain

Competing in the 5,000m race, while Nguyen Thi Oanh finished and enjoyed all the glory of the champion, Bou Samnang cried and ran alone in the rain, finishing last even though, as she admitted, she could have given up when all her competitors had finished the race long ago.

"Whether fast or slow, we will reach the finish line. Just because I came last in this race doesn't mean I can't win in other competitions. I won't give up because I always think about the goal of bringing medals to Cambodian sports " - Bou Samnang shared.

Three SEA Games characters receive many awards

The program "Inspiring Characters at SEA Games 32" awarded each athlete 20 million VND. In addition, a number of businesses decided to accompany the three SEA Games characters to inspire the community by giving cash and valuable gifts.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/the-thao/ba-nhan-vat-sea-games-32-truyen-cam-hung-cho-gioi-tre-20230618224715314.htm