The journey from a boy who couldn't swim to a "jewel" of Vietnamese swimming.

VHO - From a boy who couldn't swim to the pride of Vietnamese sports, Tran Hung Nguyen's journey is a story of perseverance, resilience, and a burning desire to surpass himself. His opening gold medal at the SEA Games 33 further affirms his position among the best swimmers in Vietnam today.

Tran Hung Nguyen finished first with a time of 2'02''11 in the 200m individual medley at the 33rd SEA Games.

The journey from a boy who couldn't swim…

Tran Hung Nguyen was born on January 20, 2003, in Quang Tri province (formerly Quang Binh province ) into a family with three brothers. Although from the same hometown as his older brother Nguyen Huy Hoang, Tran Hung Nguyen's childhood was not spent near rivers and he didn't know how to swim until he unexpectedly discovered swimming.

The turning point came for him in 2013, when a distant relative of Hung Nguyen's family from Ho Chi Minh City came to visit their hometown. Seeing the family's difficult circumstances, they offered to take Nguyen to Ho Chi Minh City to learn swimming and become a swimming athlete.

That relative was none other than Mrs. Quách Thị Dung - the mother of the once-famous swimmer Trương Ngọc Tuấn. Under the strict training of swimmer Trương Ngọc Tuấn, Nguyên made remarkable progress.

After three years of training, at the young age of 13, Tran Hung Nguyen was selected by experts for the Vietnamese national swimming team and was considered a new hope for Vietnamese swimming, alongside senior swimmers such as Nguyen Huu Kim Son, Nguyen Huy Hoang, etc.

However, during the first two years, Nguyen consistently finished in 5th or 6th place whenever he entered a race, often behind the leading group. But what made the coaches remember Nguyen wasn't his achievements, but the perseverance of a boy who always maintained an optimistic spirit. The more he lost, the harder he trained, quietly accumulating strength little by little.

In 2016, at the age of 13, Nguyen made his debut at the National Championships in relay events. Just two years later, at the age of 15, Nguyen was given the opportunity to test himself in a larger arena at the 2018 Southeast Asian Youth Championships.

And it was here that his talent began to shine brightly. The tournament had 20 events, but Tran Hung Nguyen almost completely dominated the medal table, winning 18 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 1 bronze medal. This result surprised experts in the region, because it is very rare for a young athlete to dominate almost the entire tournament in such an overwhelming way.

That form continued into 2019, when Nguyen participated in 10 events and won 6 gold medals and 4 bronze medals, contributing to the Vietnamese youth swimming team's dominance in Southeast Asia for two consecutive years.

Despite achieving early success, Nguyen remains humble. He continues to train diligently every day, hoping that one day he can represent Vietnam and compete in bigger international competitions.

Tran Hung Nguyen has had a remarkable journey of growth on the green track.

Introducing the "jewel" of Vietnamese swimming.

In 2019, the "young swimming prodigy" was sent to participate in the 30th SEA Games with the goal of gaining experience and preparing for the Games on home soil. At that time, Nguyen was only 16 years old. But it was in the Philippines that he made an unexpected breakthrough.

In his very first SEA Games, Nguyen stunned both experts and fans. In the 200m individual medley final, he finished first with a time of 2'02"56 and won his first SEA Games gold medal. Not stopping there, Nguyen went on to win the gold medal in the men's 400m individual medley with a time of 4'20"65, breaking the 2017 record of 4'22"12 set by Nguyen Huu Kim Son.

In addition to the two gold medals, Nguyen also contributed two bronze medals in the men's 4x100m medley relay and 4x100m freestyle relay.

At the 31st SEA Games on home soil, Hung Nguyen continued his impressive performance, winning three individual gold medals and one relay gold medal. Most notably, in the men's 400m individual medley, the 19-year-old swimmer not only finished first but also broke the SEA Games record with a time of 4'18''10.

He also made history by becoming the first Vietnamese athlete to win a gold medal in the men's 200m backstroke. In the remaining events, Nguyen continued to demonstrate his all-around abilities with gold medals in the 200m individual medley and the 4x200m freestyle relay.

At the 32nd SEA Games, Nguyen's performance remained undiminished. He brought home three more gold medals for Vietnamese swimming, including the men's 200m individual medley with a time of 2'01''28, the men's 400m individual medley with 4'19''12, and the men's 4x200m freestyle relay with teammates Nguyen Huu Kim Son, Hoang Quy Phuoc, and Nguyen Huy Hoang, achieving a time of 7'18''51.

On the first day of competition at the 33rd SEA Games, he brilliantly finished first in the 200m individual medley with a time of 2'02''11, bringing home the opening gold medal for the Vietnamese swimming team.

With his consistent performance and mature competitive spirit, Tran Hung Nguyen is expected to continue bringing home more medals for the Vietnamese swimming team in the upcoming competitions.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/hanh-trinh-tu-cau-be-khong-biet-boi-den-vien-ngoc-quy-cua-boi-loi-viet-nam-187276.html