The resilience of the "warriors"

VHO - During the first days of competition at the 13th ASEAN Para Games in Nakhon Ratchasima (Thailand), Vietnam's top veteran athletes in the Paralympic Games have continuously won valuable medals.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong congratulated the Vietnamese Paralympic swimming team on their achievements.

This once again demonstrates the extraordinary willpower and perseverance of Vietnamese athletes over the years, driven by their desire to surpass themselves and bring glory to national sports .

Le Van Cong hasn't stopped yet.

Weightlifter Le Van Cong demonstrated impressive endurance and a willingness to keep going by winning the gold medal in the 49 kg weightlifting category at the 13th ASEAN Para Games. Even more impressively, the weightlifter, who is about to turn 42, achieved his best lift of 178 kg, just 1 kg more than his Indonesian opponent Abdul Hadi. Remarkably, Le Van Cong successfully defended his gold medal in this weight category, surpassing his 168 kg lift achieved at the 12th ASEAN Para Games in 2023 in Cambodia by 10 kg.

With this achievement, Le Van Cong has maintained his dominant position in the 49 kg weight category throughout the 8 consecutive ASEAN Para Games he has participated in (2007, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2026). This is a record that few Vietnamese disabled athletes can achieve. Currently, Le Van Cong is also the most successful disabled athlete in Vietnamese sports, having won a gold medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, and numerous other world , Asian, and international medals, not to mention his achievements in domestic competitions.

But more than all the numbers and titles, what makes Le Van Cong special is his perseverance in staying at the top, in a demanding sport where age is often a difficult barrier to overcome.

The journey of this weightlifter from Ha Tinh province is a story of unwavering faith. Born with a disability, he turned to weightlifting as a way to affirm his self-worth. Over the years, each medal has not only helped him defeat his opponents, but also his own. When many questioned whether he should stop, Le Van Cong answered with action: stepping into the ring and winning.

Le Van Cong's gold medal at the 13th ASEAN Para Games therefore carries significance beyond the scope of a single Games. It is a powerful message about human willpower, about how passion and discipline can take a disabled athlete far. For young athletes, Le Van Cong is a role model of professionalism and dedication. For fans and colleagues, he is a source of positive inspiration, reminding them that the greatest limitations sometimes lie not in physical ability, but in belief.

Weightlifter Le Van Cong stood the test of time, winning a gold medal at the 13th ASEAN Para Games.

When age is just a number

At the 13th ASEAN Para Games, veteran weightlifter Chau Hoang Tuyet Loan was one of Vietnam's oldest athletes. But age was just a number for this weightlifter born in 1975 as she brought home a silver medal in the women's 55 kg category with a performance of 103 kg.

Although she couldn't successfully defend her gold medal in this weight category, it was a tremendous effort from the weightlifter who is about to turn 51. With over 20 years in the sport, Tuyet Loan has won a silver medal at the Asian Championships, participated in the Paralympic Games four times (2008, 2012, 2016, and 2021), and dominated the women's 55 kg weight category at the ASEAN Para Games for the past decade.

At 40 years old, swimmer Trinh Thi Bich Nhu still shows her resilience by winning the gold medal in the women's 100m breaststroke - SB6. It will be difficult for this swimmer born in 1985 to repeat her achievement of winning 5 gold medals like at the 12th ASEAN Para Games, but she will do her best to perform well in all the events she participates in.

Similarly, 40-year-old swimmer Vo Thanh Tung successfully defended his gold medal in the men's 50m freestyle (S5) and is striving to replicate his achievement of winning 3 gold medals (including 1 team gold medal) at the Games 3 years ago. For Vo Huynh Anh Khoa, bringing home Vietnam's first gold medal at the 13th ASEAN Para Games in the men's 400m freestyle (S8) final is both an honor and a motivation for the 35-year-old swimmer to aim for further milestones.

Among the Vietnamese athletes who competed, swimmer Vi Thi Hang left the biggest impression. Vi Thi Hang not only won a gold medal but also brilliantly broke the Games record in the women's 50m backstroke (S7 disability category) with a time of 45.63 seconds. This is a great motivation for the swimmer born in 1990 to continue striving in the following events.

For athletes with disabilities, winning a gold medal is already a daunting challenge, but it's even harder to defend that achievement and maintain their performance over the long term, especially when their bodies are subject to specific limitations, age is a factor, and the continuous series of competitions leaves no room for slowing down.

However, it is precisely in these harsh circumstances that Vietnamese athletes with disabilities have persevered, leaving behind achievements that leave fans amazed and deeply moved. Behind each medal won by Tuyet Loan, Vi Thi Hang, Bich Nhu, Thanh Tung, Anh Khoa, or Le Van Cong lies a story of willpower, perseverance, and a desire to overcome their own limitations and bring glory to the nation.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/su-ben-bi-cua-cac-chien-binh-199538.html