Unforgettable impressions
Every time we meet athlete Nguyen Thi Oanh, we feel more motivated to strive. Although small in stature, her friendly smile and approachable personality always make the runner born in 1995 stand out from the crowd. After the 30th SEA Games in 2019 with a hat-trick of gold medals, Nguyen Thi Oanh fulfilled her first wish: Giving her parents a trip . Before setting a record of winning 4 gold medals at the 32nd SEA Games, Nguyen Thi Oanh confided to me: "My goal is to continue to contribute and win more achievements for Vietnamese athletics. I hope to soon build a new house for my parents."
In the small house in My Ha commune, Lang Giang district, Bac Giang province, the most precious things carefully kept by Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Van Chuyen and Nguyen Thi Huong (Oanh's parents) are the medals and certificates of merit that Nguyen Thi Oanh has won. Up to now, Nguyen Thi Oanh has owned 12 SEA Games gold medals, 1 Asian Indoor Athletics gold medal, 1 Asian Games bronze medal and many other valuable medals and awards.
When studying her body parameters, experts were surprised by Nguyen Thi Oanh's ability to recover her physical strength. Therefore, after winning the gold medal in the women's 1,500m race at the 32nd SEA Games, Nguyen Thi Oanh quickly entered the 3,000m obstacle race and won. Having been eliminated from the Vietnamese athletics team due to glomerulonephritis, facing the risk of having to retire, but with her constant efforts, Nguyen Thi Oanh has become a symbol of Vietnamese athletics. Not only that, Nguyen Thi Oanh currently has a master's degree in sports training and is a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam .
Also 4 gold medals, but for the Vietnamese women's football team, it is 4 consecutive times dominating regional football. In a broader sense, Vietnamese women's football has won 8/13 times the SEA Games has organized women's football. Of those, strategist Mai Duc Chung contributed 6 championships as head coach. Not daring to claim to be a hero, the 71-year-old military leader affirmed that he is just a "grain of sand in the desert". Therefore, after the Vietnamese women's football team won the 32nd SEA Games gold medal, coach Mai Duc Chung took a loudspeaker and approached the stands to directly thank the fans. More than anyone, he understands that for Vietnamese women's football to have today, it is thanks to the great efforts of fans and social resources. After the 32nd SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's players only rested for a week before having a training trip to Germany, preparing to participate in the 2023 Women's World Cup finals.
The unforgettable achievements of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation at the 32nd SEA Games did not only come from athletics or women's football. On the basketball court, the Vietnamese 3x3 women's basketball team made history when they won the SEA Games gold medal for the first time. In golf, for the first time, the Vietnamese golf team won the championship thanks to the talent of 15-year-old athlete Le Khanh Hung. After 26 years of waiting, Vietnamese table tennis fans were overwhelmed by the mixed doubles gold medal thanks to the excellence of the pair Tran Mai Ngoc-Dinh Anh Hoang. Among the Olympic sports, Vietnamese judo made its mark by winning 8 gold medals, double the target... Mr. Hoang Quoc Vinh, Director of the Department of High Performance Sports I, General Department of Sports and Physical Training affirmed: "The impressive achievements of Vietnamese sports come from a thorough, long-term and systematic preparation process with the momentum of the 31st SEA Games. The Olympic sports group received key investment and training abroad. The SEA Games and Asian Games sports groups also had careful preparation and flexible changes".
Confidently go out to "the big sea"
At the 32nd SEA Games, for the first time, Vietnam ranked first overall when it was not the host country. Along with the leading localities contributing human resources to the Vietnam Sports Delegation, the athletes of the Army Sports also made their mark by winning 45 medals (17 gold, 10 silver and 18 bronze medals, setting two Games records in diving).
The 32nd SEA Games was a difficult tournament for the participating delegations. Even the leaders of the Vietnamese sports industry modestly set a target of winning 89 to 120 gold medals and finishing in the top 3. Overcoming all difficulties and challenges, the Vietnamese sports delegation united and adapted flexibly to excellently win the overall first place. The success in quantity and value of the medals at the 32nd SEA Games shows that we have a relatively large and comprehensive force in the Olympic, Asian Games and SEA Games groups. Mr. Hoang Quoc Vinh said: "The Vietnamese sports delegation has spread and inspired national pride, determination, not retreating, not giving up in the face of any difficulties. The image of athletes in combat sports and martial arts competing steadfastly and skillfully, contributing more than 50% of the total gold medals for the delegation has demonstrated the martial arts tradition, bravery and intelligence of the Vietnamese people".
Sharing with reporters, Mr. Dang Ha Viet, General Director of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, Head of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation attending the 32nd SEA Games emphasized: "The achievements of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation at the 32nd SEA Games are clear evidence of the attention of the Party, State and Government leaders to the cause of developing Vietnamese sports and physical training."
The impressive achievements at the 32nd SEA Games not only affirm the new position and stature of Vietnam Sports in the regional arena but also serve as a solid stepping stone for Vietnam Sports to advance to higher arenas, first of all the 19th Asian Games taking place in September in Hangzhou, China - where the Vietnam Sports Delegation aims to win 3 to 5 gold medals. Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh, former Director of the Department of High Performance Sports, Sports and Physical Training Committee (now the General Department of Sports and Physical Training), affirmed: “Vietnam Sports has completed its glorious mission at the SEA Games. Since 2003, we have always been in the top of the region, affirming the increasing quantity and quality of sports. It is time for Vietnam Sports to focus on the Asian Games arena and the Olympic destination.”
| The Southeast Asian Games Federation has decided that starting from the 33rd SEA Games in 2025 in Thailand, the congress will focus on organizing competitions of the Asian Games and the Olympics. The host country will only be allowed to choose 2 strong sports in group 3 (not included in the Asian Games and Olympics system) with a total of 8 competitions. |
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