SEA Games coming, suddenly remember Anh Vien...

TPO - The retirement of the Vietnamese swimming icon has left many regrets for those who loved her. Nguyen Thi Anh Vien is perhaps the most regrettable case in Vietnamese sports in the past decade.

Anh Vien is the iconic face of Vietnamese swimming and sports.

Remember at the 2015 SEA Games, Anh Vien surprised the media and the Singaporean public. She dominated the race with gold medals from one distance to another. At that time, Singapore was a strong force in swimming with famous names, notably Josep Schooling and the three sisters Quah Ting Wen, Quah Jing Wen and Quah Zheng Wen.

Singaporean press has compared Anh Vien to a "steel swimmer", she became prominent on the news pages about the host country's congress.

The public's admiration for Anh Vien is also due to the cuteness and simplicity of a girl from the West, with a friendly, bright smile. Not flashy but still attractive to everyone, that is the special quality of Anh Vien compared to the big names of Vietnamese sports.

That is why Anh Vien's withdrawal is particularly regrettable. It is no coincidence that experts believe that the sports industry has built an iconic image, promoting love for sports and swimming. Anh Vien has clearly been an inspiration for many children and young people to the green race track.

Shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh's Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) is still the pinnacle of Vietnamese sports.

SEA Games 33 is about to take place in Thailand, the challenge for the Vietnamese sports delegation is not small. Suddenly remembering Anh Vien when Vietnamese sports seem to be gradually lacking "monuments" who have influence in the whole region. Those are the famous names of the past such as Hoang Xuan Vinh, Vu Thi Huong, Truong Thanh Hang or Nguyen Thi Huyen...

Vietnamese sports really need icons to inspire the community in the era of national development.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/sea-games-den-chot-nho-anh-vien-post1793607.tpo