The pillars of Vietnamese sports at the SEA Games

Many veteran faces continue to be entrusted with the responsibility of achieving the highest results for the Vietnamese Sports Delegation at the 33rd SEA Games.

If Bui Thi Anh Thao is recognized as the youngest member of the women's volleyball team when she first participated in the SEA Games at the age of 16, many of her colleagues have experienced 6-7 games, "addicted" to the feeling of stepping onto the highest victory podium.

Support from veterans

Among the nearly 1,000 members of the Vietnam Sports Delegation (VSD) participating in the 33rd SEA Games, table tennis player Mai Hoang My Trang is probably the oldest player. Although she withdrew right before the Games took place in Vietnam 3 years ago, the HCMC player was still called back to the Vietnam team for the "gold hunting" campaign in Thailand this time.

At the age of 38, My Trang is the most experienced player in Vietnamese table tennis at present. She holds many impressive achievements in the domestic arena, including a record 13 times winning the Vietnamese women's singles championship. My Trang's experience and courage are expected to be a support, helping her young teammates gain more confidence, ensuring the target of winning at least one gold medal like the past 4 congresses.

Almost the same age as My Trang, the story of "superwoman" Tran Thi Thuy Trang is often mentioned by fans of Vietnamese women's soccer and futsal. Searching throughout Southeast Asia, you cannot find a second character who can both play 11-a-side soccer well and also fly on the futsal wooden floor, like Thuy Trang.

Having won three SEA Games gold medals with the Vietnamese women's football team, Thuy Trang now dreams of winning the Southeast Asian Games with the women's futsal team.

In the five SEA Games that organized women's futsal, the Vietnamese team always had to settle for second place, behind the Thai team.

"Trang hopes that the Vietnamese women's futsal team will win a gold medal, creating a premise for a new development step for this sport, and also so that veteran players like Trang can confidently hand over the responsibility to their young teammates," the female player confided.

The Vietnamese women's football team arrived in Thailand on the afternoon of December 2. (Photo: NGOC LINH)

Thirst for victory

After nearly 5 years, including the time off to give birth in 2017 and the injury that forced her to withdraw from the SEA Games 2 years later, Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc could have gone down in Vietnamese sports history. She won the gold medal in the walking event at the 2011 SEA Games, completed a "golden hat-trick" through the 2013 and 2015 games, and then when she reappeared at the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam, Thanh Phuc still had no worthy opponent.

"If calculated correctly, this will be Phuc's 7th SEA Games with his younger brother Thanh Ngung. More than a decade of appearing in the region's top tournament and always winning the highest, that is Phuc's incomparable pride. I once intended to withdraw but seeing that the Vietnamese walking team did not have a successor, I was ready to go into battle, of course, always aiming to win the gold medal" - the 36-year-old female athlete shared.

7 is not the final number, especially for wushu athlete Duong Thuy Vi or triathlon player Lam Quang Nhat, veteran faces who are about to participate in the 7th Southeast Asian Games in their careers.

Thuy Vi has not given up her desire to once again step onto the highest podium, while Quang Nhat is waiting for the first gold medal for Vietnamese triathlon, after being the SEA Games champion on the blue track.

The Vietnamese sports delegation attending the 33rd SEA Games has 1,165 members, including 842 athletes, 189 coaches, 19 experts, competing in 47/66 sports with a total of 443/573 events. The delegation aims to win from 90 to 110 gold medals, continuing to maintain its position in the leading group of Southeast Asia, while determined to defend the gold medal of the women's football team and bring the men's football team back to the top position.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nhung-diem-tua-cua-the-thao-viet-tai-sea-games-196251202213623801.htm