Two "golden stars" of Ho Chi Minh City's gymnastics shine at the 33rd SEA Games.

VHO - On the glorious afternoon of December 11th, Vietnamese gymnastics marked two more impressive victories at the SEA Games 33 as Nguyen Van Khanh Phong and Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien successively stepped onto the highest podium, affirming the position of a generation of talented athletes who have matured from the training academy in Ho Chi Minh City.

Two consecutive gold medals not only brought pride to national sports but also once again demonstrated the resilience of a systematic and rigorous discovery, training, and coaching system from the local to the central level.

Khanh Phong and Xuan Thien brilliantly won 2 gold medals in gymnastics at the 33rd SEA Games.

Khanh Phong – the energy of courage and breakthrough.

With 13,767 points, Nguyen Van Khanh Phong successfully defended his gold medal in the rings – the event that brought him glory at the 2023 SEA Games. Despite fierce competition from Aprizal Muhammad (Indonesia) and De Leon Justine Ace (Philippines), the athlete born in 2002 still showed superior stability and maturity in every movement.

Khánh Phong's name became familiar to Vietnamese sports fans after his miraculous victory over "phenomenon" Carlos Yulo to win the gold medal at the 2023 SEA Games. Following that was the precious silver medal at the 19th Asian Games, marking the first time Vietnamese men's gymnastics reached the continental peak in this event.

Khanh Phong successfully defended his championship title.

The Khánh Phong of today is the result of a long journey supported by the sports sector and Ho Chi Minh City – the place where his talent was discovered when he was just 7 years old.

From the tryouts at the primary school, coach Vo Dinh Vinh saw exceptional potential in Phong and brought him into the city's youth training program.

After more than 6 years of rigorous training in Ho Chi Minh City, followed by 4 years of training in Hungary before joining the national team, Khanh Phong continuously matured in a systematic training environment under the direct guidance of experienced coaches such as Truong Tuan Hien and Truong Minh Sang.

The seamless coordination between the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, the Vietnam Gymnastics Federation, and the National High-Level Athlete Training Center has created a complete ecosystem for a young talent to develop to its fullest potential. At the SEA Games 33, Khanh Phong once again demonstrated the impact of that system.

Xuan Thien – a historic hat-trick from the "hot boy" of gymnastics.

Coach Truong Minh Sang (center) and his two students, all graduates of the Ho Chi Minh City youth academy.

Before Khanh Phong stepped onto the podium to receive the gold medal, his teammate Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien ignited the team's victory with an outstanding performance in the pommel horse event, scoring 14.367 points. This result far surpassed the second-place competitor by 1.267 points, demonstrating the absolute dominance of the athlete from Ho Chi Minh City.

This gold medal is not only the 7th gold medal for the Vietnamese Sports Delegation at the Games, but also the "opening" gold medal for the gymnastics team at the 33rd SEA Games.

Notably, this is the third consecutive time Xuan Thien has won the pommel horse event at the SEA Games 31, 32, and 33 – a rare hat-trick of gold medals in the history of Vietnamese gymnastics.

Xuan Thien wins his 3rd SEA Games gold medal.

Born in 2002, known as the "gymnastics hot boy," Xuan Thien possesses an attractive appearance and confident demeanor, but behind that glamour lies a journey of overcoming difficulties with great determination.

Having trained since the age of 6, in 2015 he suffered a serious injury, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, and it took him almost a year to recover. But it was his perseverance that led him back stronger, culminating in 2025, the most brilliant year of his career, when he won the FIG World Challenge Cup in Bulgaria, also in his specialty event, the pommel horse.

Like Khanh Phong, Xuan Thien is a typical product of the Ho Chi Minh City gymnastics academy – a place that cultivates not only technique but also competitive spirit, perseverance, and a drive to excel in its athletes.

Proudly stemming from a solid training system in Ho Chi Minh City.

The two crucial gold medals won on the same day by Khanh Phong and Xuan Thien are vivid proof of the quality of training in gymnastics in Ho Chi Minh City, one of the largest cradles of this sport in Vietnam.

From talent discovery and investment in training to injury support and providing opportunities for international competition, Ho Chi Minh City has built a comprehensive, effective, and responsible model for developing young athletes.

The 33rd SEA Games further affirmed that when the training system is properly oriented, systematically invested in, and nurtured with the dedication of managers, coaches, and local authorities, young talents like Khanh Phong and Xuan Thien can absolutely step onto the big stage and bring glory to the nation.

On December 11th, two athletes of the same age, with the same starting point and the same aspirations, continued to write a beautiful story for Vietnamese gymnastics – a story that began in the training center in Ho Chi Minh City and is now spreading strongly on the regional stage.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/hai-ngoi-sao-vang-cua-the-duc-dung-cu-tphcm-toa-sang-tai-sea-games-33-187526.html