Vietnam's No. 1 fencer Vu Thanh An starts his career

C TAKE RISKS TO BECOME A PIONEER

Vu Thanh An has a brilliant international record. He won a gold medal at the U.23 Asian Fencing Championship; 8 gold medals at 5 consecutive SEA Games; 2 bronze medals at the Asian Championship; and was in the top 15 of the 2016 Olympics. An's brilliant career and life are about to enter a new chapter. After a long time of nurturing the idea, the most famous fencer in Southeast Asia has established his own fencing club (Vietnam Royal Fencing).

Vu Thanh An trains a young student at the fencing club he founded.

Vu Thanh An shared: "Fencing is very beneficial for health, giving trainees flexibility, dexterity, the ability to stay calm, decisive... I hope this will be a useful playground, a small forum for those who love fencing but have not had the opportunity to access it. Everyone can exchange, learn, research, practice and improve their skills. From there, the fencing movement in Vietnam will grow more and more."

Vu Thanh An spent a lot of effort and money, even accepted risks to become a "pioneer", when no one in Vietnam had opened a fencing club model with systematic and professional investment. To equip his club (address 22 Cau Dat, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi), he had to go to great lengths to find a qualified space (18 m long to make a fighting floor), choose each piece of carpet, order each piece of armor or competition light set from abroad... Vu Thanh An revealed: "There are many places, but I want to rent a spacious place (180 m²), with a beautiful view on the rooftop, to ensure that the trainees are most comfortable and excited when playing this noble sport . Buying equipment is really difficult, as many things have to be imported from abroad. The armor or tools have to be ordered from China, while the standard competition light set has to be imported from Germany, costing about 300 million VND/set. Besides, the club also has full weight lifting machines or roller pedal machines, helping trainees improve their physical strength."

DISCOVER MORE TALENTS

Vu Thanh An has put in a lot of effort and faced many difficulties when establishing the fencing club. Up to now, he can smile every day when he plays the role of a teacher, passing on his passion to his students. Vu Thanh An's fencing club includes the elderly, young people, children and foreigners. An likes teaching children the most because: "Childhood memories come flooding back. I see myself from when I was over 10 years old, when I first learned to hold a sword. I think that the age of 8-11 is suitable for children to gradually get acquainted, form skills and show their talent in fencing."

Second student trained by famous athlete

Vietnam's number 1 fencer expressed his wish to find more talents for the country's fencing sport. Vu Thanh An hopes that in the future, the Vietnamese fencing team will have the participation of students he himself trained. "Bringing achievements and glory to the Fatherland is something that anyone feels proud of. In the future, if there is a student who can follow in my footsteps in the national team, or even surpass what I have done, I will be very happy," he shared.

Vu Thanh An (left) won many honors

The Hanoi fencer revealed further: "I am still competing at the highest level, so the fencing club will also be the place where I invest in equipment to help me improve my skills. I will be able to practice at any time, even in the evenings or on holidays. This is also the place that helps me calm down and study fencing, find ways to overcome my own limits, and reach a new level. I aspire to conquer another peak of my career, not necessarily a specific achievement, but importantly, to grasp the quintessence of fencing."

Vu Thanh An will invite experts or good fencers in the area to the club so that students have the opportunity to approach top talents.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/kiem-thu-so-1-viet-nam-vu-thanh-an-khoi-nghiep-185231228234010352.htm