"The gold medal at the 31st SEA Games I use to pay off the last debt to my parents," said Pham Thi Hong Le, a female athlete of the national track and field team.
Perhaps many sports fans still have not forgotten the image of athletes Pham Thi Hong Le fainted and had to be given emergency care, oxygen when he just finished the 42km marathon at the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines.
At 32 SEA Games Recently, that little girl once again won 2 silver medals in the 5.000 and 10.000m content, just behind the senior athlete Nguyen Thi Oanh.
To get those medals, Hong Le had to go through many harsh challenges on the track.
Try to win a medal to have money to help your parents
Hong Le (SN 1998) was born in a family farmers in the martial land of Binh Dinh. In difficult circumstances, her parents and siblings all worked as hired laborers, struggling to make ends meet. As the 5th daughter in a family of 6 children, only Hong Le followed the professional sports path.
When she was still in middle school, Le won a prize in a running competition at school. She was sent to participate in district and provincial competitions. The outstanding achievement of the girl with a small body has caught the "blue eyes" of the teachers in the Binh Dinh Provincial Sports Competition and Training Center.
“At that time, my parents did not agree to let me follow the professional sports path. The family's economy is very difficult, parents and siblings all have to go to work. Therefore, my parents wanted me to stay at home to take care of her old age and weak health, "Hong Le recounted.
But with all her passion for sports, with the desire to help her family get out of poverty, Hong Le convinced her parents. The 15-year-old girl came to Quy Nhon to study in high school while participating in athletics training with the teachers.
After 11 years of athletics, Hong Le won 1 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals at SEA Games. In addition, she once held a record in the women's 10.000m run with a record of 34'01″59 at the 2021 National Athletics Championships, along with many achievements in domestic competitions.
Won many medals, "steel rose" of Vietnamese athletics spend bonus money to help parents pay off debt. As soon as she received the bonus from the first bronze medal at the 29th SEA Games in 2017, collected with her savings, Le helped her parents build a solid house in her hometown of Binh Dinh.
Since then, every year, the little girl tries to achieve the best results to bring back money to help her parents pay off the debt.
The spending fee is very economical, accumulating each allowance. “In addition to the items for training and competition, I limit shopping and eating. If I go out to eat at all 200.000 VND, my parents will stay at home to eat for 5 days. So before spending, I always consider whether it's necessary or not," Le confided.
"The prize money for the gold medal at the 31st SEA Games, I used to pay off the last debt to my parents," said Hong Le.
Wipe out the money for injury treatment
The petite girl, 1m52 tall, confided: “I just hope to get rid of the injury so that I can practice and compete to the best of my ability. I am a very progressive person. I have never been satisfied with what I have achieved, but always want to achieve even higher.”
On the run, Hong Le thought about the days of hard training, thought of her family, and the coach to try to reach the finish line quickly. But the 9X girl was unlucky when she encountered a long and continuous injury, she also suffered from the syndrome of inflammation of the iliac tibial band.
“I spent a lot of money to cure this chronic disease. That amount is definitely more than the HCB bonus I will get. I spend very frugally, but in order to take care of my health and help with exercise, I'm willing to spend money," Le said.
The 32nd SEA Games ended, Hong Le returned in the welcoming arms of the coaches in Binh Dinh and continued to practice. Up to this point, Le still does not know the total amount of the reward for her recent achievement.
Nguyen Minh Hong (SN 1997, Nam Dinh) - Hong Le's boyfriend, who was also a professional athlete said: "She just won 2 silver medals at the 32nd SEA Games. Maybe with more than 700 athletes participating, she will not not stand out. People only pay attention to the HCVs. But for me, she tried and worked tirelessly despite the constant trauma. After all, she fought hard for the national flag. Although Le can't stand on the top podium, I'm really proud of her."
Photo: Character provided
Vietnamnet
