Great motivation for Vietnamese gymnastics

This achievement has fueled hope for Vietnamese gymnastics on its journey back to the regional and international arena, as well as creating great motivation for athletes to confidently conquer the goal of winning a gold medal at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 33) later this year in Thailand.

Athlete Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien competes at the 2025 World Gymnastics Cup. Photo: FIG

Breakthrough Factors

The Vietnamese gymnastics team has just completed its mission at the 2025 World Gymnastics Cup, which took place from May 8 to 11 in Bulgaria. Athletes Trinh Hai Khang, Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien, Nguyen Van Khanh Phong, Dinh Phuong Thanh, and Do Nam Anh competed in the pommel horse, rings, parallel bars, vault, and all-around events. In the end, the Vietnamese athletes won 1 gold medal (Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien) in the pommel horse event and 1 silver medal (Nguyen Van Khanh Phong) in the rings event.

At this tournament, Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien showed excellent performance when leading the pommel horse event in all stages of the competition. This is the first gold medal in his career at the World Cup system. This result also recorded that Vietnamese gymnastics won a gold medal after 7 years (since 2018) at this prestigious arena. In the men's hoop event, Nguyen Van Khanh Phong scored 13,566 points and won the silver medal, behind champion Adem Asil (Turkey, 14,100 points). This is also the first medal that Khanh Phong has won at the World Challenge Cup arena.

Head coach of the Vietnamese gymnastics team Truong Minh Sang said that the success of Xuan Thien and Khanh Phong did not come from luck but was the result of a systematic training process and proper investment. This achievement is the result of more than 10 years of preparation, to now have athletes who are "mature enough", stable in technique and competitive mentality like Xuan Thien and Khanh Phong. Notably, in the qualifying round, Xuan Thien showed excellent performance when leading with 14,850 points - the highest score in the pommel horse event at all stages of the World Challenge Cup this year. He far surpassed the two following opponents, Rayan Radkov (Bulgaria - 14,200 points) and Lee Chih Kai (Taiwan - 14,100 points). This shows that Xuan Thien has "touched" the level of world athletes, thereby helping the coaching staff confidently set goals at the next international tournaments.

Head of the Gymnastics Department (Vietnam Sports and Physical Training Department, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism ) Bui Trung Thien said that this is the first international tournament of the Vietnamese gymnastics team this year. The above achievement shows that the coaching board has carefully prepared the athletes. "The team's preparation is not only for the SEA Games or the Asian tournament, but also for the World Cup and Olympic qualifiers. This achievement is a stepping stone for the 33rd SEA Games, and at the same time shows that the players are capable of making a breakthrough to reach the world level", Mr. Bui Trung Thien affirmed.

Effort to achieve the goal

According to head coach of the Vietnamese gymnastics team Truong Minh Sang, the Vietnam Sports Administration has set a goal for gymnastics to win 2 to 3 gold medals at the 33rd SEA Games. This is not easy when competing with countries with strengths in gymnastics such as Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia. However, the Vietnamese gymnastics team is still determined to achieve the set goal. Currently, after finishing the competition at the 2025 World Challenge Cup, the team will return home, continue training, and aim for other tournaments such as the Asian Championship in Korea (June 2025); World Championship in Indonesia (October 2025) and especially the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand (December 2025).

With the Gold and Silver medals at this year’s World Challenge Cup, Xuan Thien and Khanh Phong are still expected to compete for the highest results at the 33rd SEA Games in the pommel horse and rings events. In the parallel bars event, despite facing difficulties when facing the Filipino gymnastics “prodigy” Carlos Yulo, athlete Dinh Phuong Thanh still has a chance to win a medal if he has a breakthrough performance.

Head of the High Performance Sports Department (Vietnam Sports Administration) Hoang Quoc Vinh said that with its position in the group of key sports, in the coming time, the Vietnam Sports Administration will create all conditions for key athletes to compete in international tournaments to hone their skills and improve their competition techniques. Along with that, the Administration will coordinate with the department to select young, potential athletes and send them for long-term training abroad. Only then will gymnastics continuously have the next generation of athletes, qualified to win medals at prestigious arenas such as the SEA Games, ASIAD, and further, the Olympics.

Hopefully, the efforts of Vietnamese coaches, athletes, and gymnasts will make their mark on the international and regional arenas in the coming time, first of all at the 33rd SEA Games.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/dong-luc-lon-cho-the-duc-dung-cu-viet-nam-702633.html