The athletes of the Thanh Hoa Athletics team are training hard.
The period from 2010 to 2019 marked a time when Thanh Hoa's athletics sector affirmed its growth in both quality and quantity. This is evidenced by a series of prestigious medals and the presence of top-level athletes in domestic, regional, and continental competitions. Following in the footsteps of previous generations such as Tran Van Sy, Le Thi Phuong, Nguyen Thi Phuong, and others like Quach Thi Lan, Quach Cong Lich, Le Trong Hinh, Luong Van Thao, etc., have made a significant mark on Thanh Hoa sports in particular and Vietnamese sports in general.
However, since the 9th National Sports Games in 2022 and the 32nd SEA Games in 2023, Thanh Hoa, which was once consistently among the top teams nationwide, has gradually fallen in the rankings and been surpassed by many other provinces and cities in both youth and national championships. In terms of personnel, there are no truly talented young athletes capable of replacing those who have retired or are nearing the end of their careers.
The head coach of the Vietnamese National Athletics Team, and also the head coach of the Thanh Hoa Athletics Team, Tran Van Sy, stated: “In my opinion, the main reason is the lack of coordination in the selection and training of young athletes. Solving this is not easy, as in modern society, many families are no longer enthusiastic about their children pursuing sports; athletics competitions at the grassroots level are of low scale and quality; and physical education teachers at the grassroots level are less interested in discovering athletic talent than before. Furthermore, athletics is a Group I sport – an Olympic sport that has received significant attention and investment from many provinces, cities, and sectors nationwide. This leads to fierce competition in tournaments; it's natural that we decline while others rise.”
Furthermore, in 2023, the then-head coach of the Athletics team, Luu Van Hung, transferred to the Triathlon team. Many established athletes from the team, such as Ha Van Nhat, Le Thi Bich, Bui Van Dung, and Le Thi Lan, also switched to this new sport, creating difficulties for the team. How to ensure that during this transition period, both veteran athletes and the next generation compete and achieve success together has been a persistent question for those involved in coaching the athletics team.
In light of this situation, the leadership of the Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center and the coaching staff of the Thanh Hoa athletics team have clearly recognized the importance of youth training, demonstrating their determination to maintain their presence in national and international competitions, while ensuring continuity and laying the foundation for long-term plans. Alongside this is the effort to innovate thinking, improve skills, and flexibly adapt training programs from the coaches.
Through persistent efforts in building its team, the Thanh Hoa athletics team currently has 8 coaches and 42 athletes, including 9 provincial-level athletes, 11 youth-level athletes, and 22 talented athletes. Encouragingly, after periods of inactivity, Thanh Hoa athletics has also introduced many young talents (born between 2008 and 2010) who have shone at national competitions. Notable examples include the three athletes in the national youth team: Le Thi Thao, Quach Ngoc Minh, and Mai Thi Ngoc Anh; and promising rising stars such as Nguyen Ngoc Thao My, Bui Thi Hong Hanh, Pham Cao Duc Anh, and Pham Quoc Anh... At the same time, there are still some veteran athletes leading the younger generation, such as the two national team members Quach Thi Lan and Bui Thi Thu Ha, along with Truong Thi Thu in the pole vault event.
In 2024, the athletics team won 2 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 4 bronze medals at the National Athletics Championships. In 2025, at the Thanh Hoa Athletics Speed Cup, they won a total of 5 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals. At the 33rd SEA Games, Quach Thi Lan won a historic gold medal for Vietnamese sports. Most recently, in March, Thanh Hoa athletes performed excellently and won 2 silver medals at the Tien Phong Newspaper National Marathon and Long Distance Championships. This shows that with serious investment, athletics has risen and reaped "sweet fruits".
According to head coach Tran Van Sy, with the immediate goal of achieving high results at the 10th National Sports Games at the end of the year, Thanh Hoa's athletics team will focus on events that suit the local conditions, especially strong events such as the 400m, 400m hurdles, 3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m, 10,000m, half marathon, relay races, pole vault, and technical events such as the heptathlon, long jump, women's triple jump, or high jump. These events require analytical and synthetic thinking from athletes and do not demand significant investment in facilities, while also having the potential to create breakthroughs. In addition, the identification and training of young athletes will continue to be implemented early, with a clear roadmap towards long-term goals.
Nguyen Ngoc Hai, Head of the Training Management Department at the Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center, stated: “In the coming time, in addition to ensuring the best conditions regarding facilities and nutrition, the center and the coaching staff will be flexible in training, continuing to create opportunities for athletes to participate in training with the national team and compete in various competitions to learn from experience, hone their skills, improve their professional level, and contribute to improving achievements. With focused investment, enhanced training innovation, and youth development, I believe that athletics will soon bring about resounding achievements, befitting its status as a strong sport in the history of Thanh Hoa sports.”
Text and photos: Anh Tuan
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/dien-kinh-doi-moi-de-vuon-tam-288650.htm
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