When I was a child, I always had to catch crabs and snails.

I first knew Nguyen Thi Huyen in 2015, at the 28th SEA Games held in Singapore. 8 years ago, the girl from Y Yen district , Nam Dinh province surprised the Vietnamese media with her beautiful, graceful running steps, winning a hat-trick of gold medals in the 400m, 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay .

At the age of 22, the results of 56 seconds 15 (400m hurdles ), 52 seconds (400m) helped Nguyen Thi Huyen win the " double" of qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics - this is also a historical milestone of Vietnamese athletics that up to now no athlete has achieved.

Going through ups and downs in her career, Nguyen Thi Huyen made many people go from shock to amazement in 2019 .

I don't know what power can help a female athlete who just got married in 2018, take nearly a year off to fulfill her duties as a wife and mother, then return to training and continue to assert her dominant position on the 400m and 400m hurdles track at the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines.

It 's truly a miracle ! Anyone who has ever been passionate about running understands that just taking a week or half a month off from running can make them feel "tense " again ; professional athletes get injured , take about half a year off, and then return to the track , competition or field... also requires extraordinary will and determination, some people never find themselves again .

Yet with her actions, Nguyen Thi Huyen has turned what seemed impossible into possible . And I , too, did not give up, determined to pursue the interview with Nguyen Thi Huyen for nearly 4 years to get a date !

It's not that Huyen is arrogant, on the contrary, she is very simple and rustic . It's simply that my previous appointments were all at the wrong time . Sometimes Huyen was busy practicing martial arts , competing , or taking the time to visit her family in the short days after each tournament ; other times it was my turn to be busy with work, engrossed in domestic sports tournaments.

Before the 32nd SEA Games, although very shy, Huyen had to refuse to be interviewed but had a promise: "After the SEA Games, I will meet you too !".

Yet after Nguyen Thi Huyen scored a hat-trick of gold medals (400m hurdles , 4x400m mixed relay , 4x400m relay ) in Cambodia to become the athlete holding the record for most SEA Games gold medals with 13, this appointment still had to be postponed because Huyen was busy going to Taipei, China to compete in an international athletics tournament and continued to win another gold medal in the 400m hurdles .

In the end , the appointment between Dan Viet and Nguyen Thi Huyen was only made at 8:00 a.m. on June 8, 2023 - the exact date of the 13th anniversary of Dan Viet 's founding . Is it "fate" with the number 13, I think...

Looking back at 15 years of pursuing your passion for athletics, since winning gold medals at district and provincial levels in 2008, right from the first steps in pursuing your passion, did Huyen think you would be as successful as you are now ?

- What happened to me was like a "dream come true". I came from a poor family, my father died early, there were only three of us in the house, my sister was sick so she was not aware of everything around her, just like a child.

The whole family relied on rice to make a living and pay for my education. After school, my sister and I would help my mother catch crabs and snails to sell at the market.

My childhood memory is when my sister and I went to the fields to catch crabs and snails, I just did it perfunctorily and then went out to play. When I was done, I came back, took my sister's snails and put them in my basket, and showed them off to my mother. That funny story has stayed with me ever since. The more I think about it, the more I love my sister. Since I left home to train professionally in athletics, I have been very conscious of saving money to send home to help my mother pay for living expenses and take care of my sister.

I focused on each small step, fought for each small tournament, tried to win gold medals in youth tournaments, national championships, and the National Sports Festival. When I was training with the provincial team, watching my seniors compete, I thought to myself, “Why are you guys so good, always winning gold medals, and I wish I could be like you one day.”

When I joined the national team, I saw the "monuments" of Vietnamese athletics such as Vu Thi Huong, Truong Thanh Hang, Vu Van Huyen, Nguyen Dinh Cuong... I only dared to stand from afar and admire, not daring to talk to them. At that time, I was shy and embarrassed, even though they were very sociable.

Looking back on my journey, I feel lucky that my career has been so smooth. Many of my peers tried as hard as I did, were also very talented, but unfortunately suffered injuries; or when they practiced well, they did not achieve the desired results when competing and did not have the opportunity to show themselves on the international stage.

What is Huyen's most memorable memory in her early days of athletics ?

- Perhaps the biggest impression people had of me in those early days was that of a little girl who cried every day because she missed home and her mother, and refused to eat or drink anything. To the point that right before the competition, the teachers at the Nam Dinh youth team had to take me home to see my mother so I could ease my longing, then I went straight to the field and... won the gold medal.

I think sports and athletics chose me. When I was in school, I always stood out from my friends in the game of tag. The boys couldn’t catch up with me. In 2007, my teachers saw that I had potential so they chose me to compete in the district competition and won first place.

After that, I was called up to the provincial team but I asked to come back and not compete anymore because I missed my mother so much.

In 2008, I competed in the district competition again and won the gold medal. I won the gold medal in every event, from high jump, long jump, 800m run... But whenever someone said that I had to leave home to join the provincial youth team, I shook my head.

Reluctantly, the teachers had to create conditions for me to cycle 10km from home to the team practice in the morning and then cycle back, every day for a month. In the 2008 Provincial Phu Dong Sports Festival, I won against a professional training partner in the distance of... 100m, then competed in the 2008 National Phu Dong Sports Festival and won gold medal.

In 2009, I was selected for the national youth athletics team that gathered in Tu Son, then joined the national team in 2011, competed in the first SEA Games in Indonesia, and won a bronze medal in the relay.

In the familiar campus of the National Sports Training Center in Hanoi (Nhon), our story continued to flow back to the past . Huyen said she was grateful for the difficult days of her childhood. Thinking about the difficult circumstances of her family, even though training was very tiring and she had to face injuries , Huyen always encouraged herself to try to overcome, change her life, and help her mother and sister have a more comfortable life. It was her family that motivated Huyen to achieve the success she has today.

In life , everyone has dreams, especially when they were young. Boys dream of becoming soldiers or policemen; girls dream of becoming singers or teachers... Huyen , please "reveal " your childhood dreams ?

- My family's circumstances were so difficult that when I was young, I had no dreams. I knew for sure that my mother could not support me to finish high school, let alone go to university and think further.

Athletics changed my life. If I hadn’t been an athlete, I would have followed my mother to work in the fields or worked in a nearby factory and then got married.

At that time, I only wished that one day I would work and have enough money to buy my mother a refrigerator. Summer was very hot, children craved iced water, every family had it but our family could only... wish!

During the youth team training days, I had almost no money. When I saw my friends buying pants and shirts, I didn’t dare to buy them. My friends invited me to go out for snacks several times, but I was lucky to go only once, because I thought about my mother and sister who were still struggling at home.

At the end of 2008, I remember I only got 200,000 - 300,000 VND in bonus money, I went to the secondhand store and bought my mother and sister a shirt as a Tet gift.

And Huyen has realized her "refrigerator dream" for a long time?

- In 2009, after receiving a bonus of 12 million VND from the Southeast Asian Youth Championship, I immediately bought a refrigerator to bring home. That day, I told my mother: "I don't know how I will be able to practice in the future. But I will try to send money home to you every month. You should work less and don't worry about me anymore...".

With the 2009 bonus, I also helped my mother rebuild the kitchen. My house was right next to the field, the tiled roof of the kitchen often leaked, and every time there was a storm, the roof would blow off. After the kitchen was built, although she didn’t say it, I knew my mother was very happy and proud of me.

Everything is fine now, but my mother still... works in the fields. She said if she doesn't work, she feels sad and can't stand it.

Along with economic difficulties in life, Huyen also has to face and overcome injuries that haunt every professional athlete...

- The first SEA Games I attended was in 2011 in Indonesia and only won a bronze medal in the women's 4x400m relay. At the 2013 SEA Games, I went to Myanmar but could not compete because just two days before entering the track, I tore my hamstring during a training session.

At that time, I was young and full of enthusiasm, so I only felt a little sad. My training results were very good and I was very confident going into the competition, but... I had to start over.

The SEA Games only comes once every two years and an injury means two years of hard work from teachers and students go down the drain.

After that time, I thanked my coach (Coach Vu Ngoc Loi - PV) very much. He always encouraged me and had appropriate training plans to help me recover quickly. My teammates also supported me a lot. Some of them who did not compete in the SEA Games were willing to "guide" me to practice, then I returned to compete at my best in the 2015 SEA Games.

For me, that injury has more positive meaning than negative. I think, when something happens in life, whether favorable or unfavorable, it is a lesson for me to grow up.

Personality, passion, desire, and determination to prove herself helped Nguyen Thi Huyen overcome a torn thigh muscle injury at the end of 2013 to return and shine on the track of the 28th SEA Games in June 2015 in Singapore. But it was also those "characteristics" of youth that almost made Huyen lose herself. After the 2015 SEA Games, Huyen was said to have "star disease". Coach Vu Ngoc Loi was very angry and asked to quit coaching to recuperate . The main reason why Mr. Loi "got sick" was because Huyen focused on sidelines and behind-the-scenes matters (appearing on TV, paying off debts from school ...) rather than... going out to practice, improve, and enhance her professional skills. "That was a time of impulsive youth . I don't think I had "star" disease. It's simply that at that time I liked to do things my own way. Uncle Loi said something I didn't understand so I found him very difficult...", Huyen recalls the "low note" in her career.

After each gold medal that Huyen won in the international arena , the familiar image captured by reporters was her eyes searching for coach Vu Ngoc Loi, and the next day, Huyen ran to hug her coach with a bright smile...

- There would be no Nguyen Thi Huyen today without coach Vu Ngoc Loi. He is the one who trained me when I had no achievements, just a little girl from Nam Dinh who came to Hanoi to pursue her passion.

In my heart, I always respect and am grateful to him. After the 2015 SEA Games, I achieved the first milestones in my career, received a lot of media attention and in a moment of youthful impulsiveness, I once "ignored" his advice and strictness.

I simply like to do things my own way and think that there is nothing wrong with that (?!). I feel that you are too picky. Going through that "turn" in my career, when I am more mature and experience many things, I thank and appreciate you more. Even though you are strict, you only want me to be better and go further. You only scold me because you love me so that I can realize my shortcomings.

To me, he is not only a coach but also a family member, a second father to me. He takes good care of me. Whenever I say I am tired, have trouble sleeping, or have a poor appetite because of a stomach ache, he even makes medicine for me to drink. He can scold me a lot, but when needed, he always stands up to protect and love me.

Before the recent SEA Games 32, he told me to go home for a visit and then return to practice before going to Cambodia. But I asked to stay in the team because if I went home and had trouble getting around, all the efforts of the teachers and students would be meaningless.

Accompanying the success of athletes is always the shadow of a teacher...

- A teacher is very important to an athlete. For us, track and field athletes, the training program requires us to run 3 laps, but sometimes after 2 laps, I am already so tired that I want to rest.

At that time, the coach has to force. Force the athlete to overcome and complete the training program so that they can accumulate enough volume, surpass the threshold, surpass the limits. If they can do it today, then when they face that challenge tomorrow, they will have nothing to fear.

Our generation has now gradually entered the other side of the career slope, the cycle is shortened. Our experience and professionalism in life are much better than when we were young, but we are no longer in the physical condition to break through.

I hope that the young athletes after our generation, in addition to learning and following the example of their seniors as we did, will also know how to overcome the limitations we encountered, focus more on their careers to soon reap good results in the SEA Games arena, creating a breakthrough stepping stone in the ASIAD arena and further, the Olympics.

Huyen is now an "idol " in the hearts of many young athletes. Looking back, can Huyen share about her own " idols" ?

- I feel lucky that during my youth I was able to train and live with very good athletes and I always think of them as "monuments" of Vietnamese athletics.

Each person has their own strengths. Ms. Vu Thi Huong (the "speed queen" who dominated the 100m and 200m races at the SEA Games from 2005 to 2013; won bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m at the 2010 ASIAD, and participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics - PV) has extremely good speed.

Ms. Truong Thanh Hang (who dominated the 800m and 1500m races at the SEA Games from 2005 to 2011 and holds the SEA Games records in these two events; 2 silver medals for 800m and 1500m at the 2010 ASIAD - PV ) is very persistent and has "huge" achievements (the records of 2 minutes 00 seconds 91 for the 800m and 4 minutes 09 seconds 58 for the 1500m that Truong Thanh Hang achieved at the 2010 ASIAD are still national records that no one has been able to break - PV ).

Mr. Vu Van Huyen is known as "the man of steel" with real "ten gold" medals ( dominated the decathlon event in 4 consecutive SEA Games from 2005 to 2011, bronze medal at ASIAD 2010 ) or Mr. Nguyen Dinh Cuong ( gold medal in men's 800m, 1500m at SEA Games 2007, 2009, currently holds the SEA Games record for the 1500m event with a time of 3 minutes 45 seconds 31 set at SEA Games 2007) .

Most recently, Nguyen Van Lai ( 6 gold medals in 5000m, 10,000m SEA Games and currently holds the SEA Games record for 5000m with a time of 14 minutes 04 seconds 82 set at SEA Games 2015) . At this time, Lai also switched to conquering the marathon at the age of 40, which is truly admirable and an example for me to learn from, look at and try harder.

Huyen usually has a great sprint in the 400m and 400m hurdles . What is the secret ?

- My 400m and 400m hurdles require both: speed and endurance, will in the last meters. If either element is missing, I cannot achieve good results.

If a 400m athlete doesn't have the speed to break away in the first leg, and meets a fast athlete, they will "press" him and he will be "stiff" for the rest of the race. If he doesn't have the stamina, he can only run 300m to 350m, and by the last 50m he can't push forward anymore.

People often say that 400m runners are like "cleavers", very versatile, can run 200m or 800m. We are also good at relays, we can run both short and long distances.

What I have achieved is simply accumulation, a process. Initially, I practiced 800m, not 400m. But after a while, the coach realized that I had a bit of speed, so he moved me to 400m. Partly because in the 800m event, Ms. Truong Thanh Hang at that time had affirmed herself in the number 1 position.

The endurance of 800m combined with the training and competition process in many international competitions has helped me to gain experience, always be very alert and determined in the last 50m - 100m, the time when many competing athletes are very tired.

Not only is she a top athlete, an example of will and determination in both life and on the track, Nguyen Thi Huyen also equips herself and prepares everything for a new journey - the journey to follow coach Vu Ngoc Loi to train talented athletes for Nam Dinh athletics in particular and Vietnamese athletics in general .

Nguyen Thi Huyen graduated from Bac Ninh University of Sports and Physical Education. Every time she goes to practice or compete internationally, she always takes time to record clips, recording each exercise and style of the world's top athletes before, during and after the competition : " For me, the 2016 Rio Olympics is very meaningful . I have learned a lot in all aspects and hope to be able to pass on those experiences to the next generation of athletes. "

Up to now, what surprises most people about Huyen is not only her 13 SEA Games gold medals, but also the way she has returned and shined after giving birth. What strength helped Huyen do that ?

- Honestly, when I decided to get married and pregnant, I didn't think I would return to competition. I decided to retire after giving birth and switch to coaching. I also went to the military recruitment to be ready to go out on the track as a coach.

But perhaps my love for running has not yet ended. When the 2018 ASIAD took place from mid-August to early September, I held my newborn baby, who was only a few months old, and watched the TV cheering on the Vietnamese athletes, feeling as nervous as if I were running on the track myself.

It's truly an "occupational disease" and at that moment, the thought flashed through my mind: "I really want to compete, should I practice again and compete again?"

Next was the decisive "push" at the 2018 National Sports Festival. My husband and I, who are athletics lecturers at Bac Ninh University of Sports, both love to watch athletes compete. So we "took turns", each taking care of the children for a day and the other riding a motorbike from our home in Tu Son to My Dinh Athletics Palace to immerse ourselves in the exciting atmosphere of athletics. When I got there, I really liked it so much that I was determined to come back.

A few days later, I told my husband: "I will go back to training and competing." Luckily, everyone in the family supported me. My mother-in-law was just worried about whether I could run. I was not 100% sure, but I told myself I had to try, to conquer what I had not been able to do. I asked to practice again and Nam Dinh agreed, creating conditions for me to practice on my own in Tu Son, convenient for taking care of my young child.

The time starting back was really difficult, it was a big challenge right Huyen ?

- When I returned to training, I was very fat, I had gained a lot of weight. For professional athletes, just a few days off, training again was tiring. I took almost a year off, training again made my whole body hurt, especially my shins, knees, and ankles. At that time, there were times when I wanted to give up. I had to train and take care of my child, and how could I have enough milk for him? I couldn't bear doing three things at once.

And 5 months after giving birth, my child suffered a loss, being weaned early, the whole family was very sad about this. I was forced to separate my child, letting him sleep with his father and grandmother. I loved him very much but I had already made my choice! I have always been the type of person who, when I set a goal, must focus completely on it to do it well. The more I love my child, the more I try to practice with the belief that when my child grows up, he can be proud of me.

My efforts and the support of my family were rewarded with two gold medals at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines. Thanks to those two gold medals, I have more motivation to continue pursuing my passion. If I could not achieve the best results at that time, I probably would have retired and would not have won the gold medals at the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam and the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia last May.

The milestones of 52 seconds for 400m and 56.06 seconds for 400m hurdles (2017 SEA Games gold medal) are Huyen 's best achievements up to now. Do you think you can continue to surpass that ?

- I thought it was impossible! At that time, I was young, had no family, and had no children. The problem of age is a story that every athlete has to face. After each training session, I still had knee and ankle pain, which were chronic injuries. With the support of my husband and coach with a suitable training program, I could only practice to reduce the impact and pain, but could not completely cure it.

At the 32nd SEA Games, I ran 56.29 seconds to win the 400m hurdles gold medal, which I think was very good. In the future, I will try to compete well at the Asian Athletics Championships in July in Thailand and then the 19th ASIAD in late September and early October in Hangzhou (China).

Achievement for me at this time is just one of the things I want to conquer. I need to listen to my body, see how long I can run, can I win another SEA Games gold medal?

I also want female athletes in the future to be confident in getting married, having children and returning to the track like me, Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc (many SEA Games gold medalists, officially winning tickets to the 2012 London Olympics, giving birth and returning with a gold medal in the 20km women's race walk at the 32nd SEA Games - PV), Bui Thi Thu Thao (2017 SEA Games long jump gold medalists, 2018 ASIAD gold medalists, giving birth, returning to win silver medals at the 31st and 32nd SEA Games - PV), Pham Thi Hue...; instead of being haunted by the thought that after getting married and having children, they cannot continue to compete at the top level.

On her personal Facebook , Huyen posted photos and clips recording images of her running with her daughter . And after what she has been through, does Huyen support her daughter in pursuing a career in athletics ?

- What I wish and want to do after retiring from the track is to discover and train talented young athletes for Vietnam athletics. They will help me fulfill the unfinished things in my career such as an ASIAD medal, even an Olympic medal.

I was fortunate to have participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics and many major international tournaments, so I learned a lot, including supplementary exercises. I always pay attention to the behavior of the world's top athletes before, during and after the competition. They are very professional, worth learning from. I have recorded and kept all those valuable documents to improve myself and later on will be very useful for training.

My daughter is almost 5 years old this year. She loves running. When she was 3-4 years old, when she followed her mother to team practice, she ran a few laps around the field. No one told her to, but when she was tired, she knew to walk, then when she felt better, she ran again.

She is still young and can’t say anything yet. But if my daughter is passionate about athletics and can follow in her mother’s footsteps, that would be wonderful.

It will be a special feeling, happy and proud when my daughter is the one who can do things that I have not achieved in my career.

Thank you Nguyen Thi Huyen for this open conversation!

Source: https://danviet.vn/co-gai-vang-dien-kinh-nguyen-thi-huyen-ngay-nho-luc-nao-toi-cung-phai-mo-cua-bat-oc-20230626022537887.htm