Conquering the Olympic peak: Tasting both glory and bitterness
Báo Thanh niên•17/07/2024
Having to go through extremely difficult and harsh Olympic qualifying competitions because of facing world- class or continental opponents, or having to go through many consecutive years of point tournaments where each tournament is full of 'bad guys'.
They - 16 elites of Vietnamese sports - have won tickets to the 2024 Paris Olympics on a thorny path, with all their determination, extraordinary will, intense love for the profession, brave hearts, intelligence, tears and sometimes even blood. But all are not alone, because we are by their side, and following the difficult journey they are about to go through - in the highest, most arduous but also most glorious arena... There were painful falls, there were falls that seemed to destroy their entire careers, but their courage, determination and talent helped them make a spectacular comeback. Weightlifter Trinh Van Vinh and cyclist Nguyen Thi That overcame the great shocks of their lives...
1,680 days of turning pain into sweet fruit
On April 2, 2024, Trinh Van Vinh won a sweet ticket to the 2024 Olympics. An achievement for 1,680 days with 5 long years of fighting, overcoming the pain called doping. August 27, 2019 can be considered one of the darkest days of the weightlifting career of the Bac Ninh native. The weightlifter born in 1995 was banned from competing for 4 years by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and fined 5,000 USD for testing positive for banned substances (doping). A painful blow to the ambition and aspirations of an athlete who had just turned 24. Before receiving the penalty, Vinh was a key athlete of Vietnamese sports aiming for a gold medal at the 19th ASIAD (in 2023) and even the goal of hunting for a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (taking place in 2021). Because he had a foundation from the 62 kg gold medal at the 2017 World Championship. At this time, Vinh's mind crept up with the thought "I will not be able to continue pursuing a sports career anymore". Everything changed too quickly. He collapsed, suffered, tormented and felt sorry for himself. He closed himself off more to move on after the dark days. He told himself to find a way to stand up when weightlifting was still like blood flowing through his veins. Luckily, he was still passionate, enthusiastic and tried to think optimistically. Vinh returned to Bac Ninh University of Sports and Physical Education, discussed and re-planned his future with his coach. With his family as a support to lift his spirit, he threw himself into training. A cycle repeated itself for 4 years when he practiced with his coach at 6am for a session and then in the afternoon went to Nhon (the familiar name of the National Sports Training Center in Hanoi ) to practice from 4-6pm. There were times when Vinh felt discouraged and weak with the surrounding gossip. Amidst all the hardships of life, he overcame them all. And then, he returned after that long suspension. On the day of his return, the weightlifter from Bac Ninh was determined: "I have to aim for the 2024 Olympic playground. I will strive my best to win a medal". Determined and doing. Vinh went step by step, slowly but surely. He had plans to reach the immediate goal of an Olympic ticket. In May 2023, the 32nd SEA Games and the Asian Weightlifting Championship took place at the same time. He did not attend the SEA Games despite having a high chance of winning a medal to focus on the continental playground to gradually qualify for the Paris Olympics. After that, he attended the world tournament with a modest total lift of 292 kg. In September, he attended the 19th ASIAD. The two tournaments were unsuccessful, but everything was within this young man's plan. He needed to compete to regain the feeling of being on the stage.
Trinh Van Vinh makes a spectacular comeback after doping shock
INDEPENDENCE
Another tournament that did not go as expected, Vinh gradually regained his feeling and focused on the final Olympic qualifying round at the 2024 Asian Cup in Thailand in April 2024. The sweet result came to him when he officially got a ticket to Paris in extreme joy. The weightlifter choked up and shared: "I am very happy and thank my teachers and friends for always believing in me, helping me overcome the most difficult stages of my career, creating the best conditions for me."
C ship to olympic dream from failure ... ASIAD
Nguyen Thi That has been one of the brightest stars of Vietnamese sports over the past decade. However, it was not until 2024, at the age of 31, that the female athlete from An Giang reached her Olympic dream. She experienced unforgettable moments but also very… forgettable moments at the 19th ASIAD. She was expected to win a historic gold medal for Vietnamese cycling in the prestigious continental arena. No one can forget the sprint of a series of athletes and only a split second apart. In the end, That sadly fell out of the top 3 medalists. She only lost to Jutatip (Thailand), Yang Qianyu (Hong Kong - China) and Na Ahreum (Korea) in an unbelievable moment.
Nguyen Thi That wants to reach the top of the world
TCA
Nguyen Thi That has the right to regret because before going to China to attend the 19th ASIAD, she had an accident at the prestigious Tour Giro cycling tournament (Italy). The injury took her a month to heal. "Injury is something no one wants, not fully recovering does not mean I cannot compete. I accepted to compete because of the trust of my teammates, the coaching staff and because of my responsibility to the flag. I do not blame the injury but that is the reason why I did not achieve the desired results," she shared. If it were not for that injury, with her talent and miraculous sprints, That would have reached her dream of conquering the ASIAD gold medal. Previously, at the 18th ASIAD, she was also expected to win the Asian gold medal, but the harsh race with many steep passes in Indonesia also made her fail, only finishing 5th. Sports are not only about winning. Moments of failure give each athlete strength. Despite failing in two consecutive ASIADs, for That, the big dream of her life has come true. She has a ticket to the 2024 Olympics after winning the 2023 Asian Road Cycling Championship. At that historic moment, That shared: "I just wanted to burst into tears because I had reached a dream that I thought I would never have." These days, That is in Europe wearing the Roland Club jersey to train at the 2024 Tour Giro. This is a preparation step for her to be in the best form at the Paris Olympics, ready to surprise her opponents. (continued)
Expectation to create historic moment
Among the 16 Vietnamese athletes participating in the 2024 Olympics, weightlifter Trinh Van Vinh is one of the hopefuls to compete for a medal. In the 61 kg weight class, according to statistics from the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), the weightlifter from Bac Ninh is temporarily ranked 9th with a total lift of 294 kg. This level is 8 kg less than the 3rd ranked person, Massidda Sergio (Italy). Trinh Van Vinh expressed: "At the Olympics, the opponents are all extremely strong. However, I will always try my best". With the characteristics of weightlifting, it is not uncommon for an athlete to be able to lift more than 10 kg. At the 29th SEA Games in 2017 in Malaysia, Vinh himself boldly performed a push to increase the lift by 10 kg and succeeded, defeating Olympic champion Eko (Indonesia), winning the gold medal, and breaking the SEA Games record. Fans expect that on a day of great energy and excitement, Vinh can break through to create another historic moment for Vietnamese weightlifting at the Olympic Games. Previously, Vinh’s seniors Hoang Anh Tuan won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics, and Tran Le Quoc Toan won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics.
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