Diệu Ly's walk was confident and graceful, her face radiant and cheerful. My colleague standing next to me raised his camera to capture the moment Diệu Ly received her award, exclaiming: "That's the style and demeanor of a martial artist, and the spirit of a 'Golden Girl'!"

Few people know that achieving that radiant demeanor and smile was the arduous journey of a frail, sickly girl who, many times, seemed unable to keep up with the demanding martial art requiring endurance and unwavering willpower. With rare courage and determination, after nearly 10 years of quietly overcoming her limitations, enduring injuries, pressure, and even breathtaking matches decided in the final seconds, Lieutenant Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly has transformed herself into the "Golden Girl" of military and national sports .

The extraordinary resilience of the frail little girl.

Born in Phuc Tho District ( Hanoi ), Dieu Ly started practicing karate at the age of 12 when she accompanied her older sister, Major Nguyen Thi Ngoan, a karate athlete who had achieved many impressive results for the Army and the national team, to the Army Sports Center for a trial training session. At that time, the small, thin girl had almost no outstanding athletic talent except for her eyes, which always shone with confidence and a willingness to face challenges. However, seeing her sister standing on the podium receiving medals, young Dieu Ly began to dream of wearing the national team's uniform, competing, and winning. But that dream was not easily realized.

Dieu Ly always enters matches with the confidence of a soldier. Photo: KHOA NGUYEN

On her first day of training, the endurance run was almost torture for the girl with weak physical strength. While her teammates completed the training program, Ly often fell behind, her face pale from exhaustion. One day, after finishing the run, Ly sat down on the ground, her legs trembling from fatigue. The coach told her to rest, but after only a few minutes, Ly was already up again. And so, the once skinny girl stubbornly persevered through each grueling training session, which felt like torture.

Another impressive aspect of Dieu Ly is that, despite not being the most naturally gifted, she is the most persistent. While many tried to avoid endurance training, Ly quietly trained extra. After regular training sessions, she would ask to stay behind to run a few more laps around the field. There were nights when her legs ached so much that even going down the stairs was difficult, but she still showed up on time the next morning. Recalling those days of hard work, Dieu Ly still admires herself. But she knew there was no other way if she wanted to succeed like her older sister: "I understood that if I couldn't overcome my physical weakness, I couldn't pursue high-level karate," Ly said concisely. Perhaps it was from those days that the spirit of a "warrior" began to form.

Ly's youth was marked by a lack of social gatherings and outings like her peers. The young athlete's life revolved almost entirely around the training room and long training trips away from home. There were holidays, festivals, and family birthdays when Ly couldn't return home because she was training with the national team. Often, when she missed her family, she would only make a few brief phone calls before returning to training. Each training session was a push beyond her limits. Each match was an opportunity for her to prove herself.

Unforgettable moments of the "Golden Girl"

When mentioning the biggest turning point in Dieu Ly's career, many people remember 2022, the year the young girl stepped onto the world stage and immediately affirmed her ability and prowess by winning the gold medal at the World Junior Karate Championships in Turkey. But few know that, just before the world championships, while performing well at the national junior championships, Ly unexpectedly suffered a hip dislocation injury. The pain made even normal movement difficult, let alone high-intensity training. During those days, Ly's body was almost completely exhausted. Some days, after training, she would lie motionless on the floor because she didn't have the strength to stand up. But the greatest pressure was psychological, as it was Dieu Ly's first international competition after many years of training with the national junior team.

Recalling that special moment in her life, Dieu Ly shared: “At that time, there were moments when I was very scared. Afraid of not performing well, afraid of letting everyone down.” However, with rare resilience and tenacity, Ly overcame all ordinary fears. When she stepped onto the mat, the young woman competed with astonishing strength. And then the historic moment arrived. When the final match ended with Dieu Ly's victory, the head coach immediately hugged her student right at the edge of the mat. In the stands, her teammates cheered in overwhelming joy. For Dieu Ly, it was not only her first world gold medal but also a moment that helped her understand that she could overcome any limit if she was determined enough.

Lieutenant Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly (front row, center) receives the Outstanding Young Face of the Entire Army Award 2025, presented by leaders of the Ministry of National Defense. Photo: VAN CHIEN

After that tournament, Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly's name began to be mentioned more often in the Vietnamese karate community. But the greater the success, the greater the pressure. In 2025, Dieu Ly entered the Asian Junior Karate Championships in China as one of the great hopes of the Vietnamese team. And that final match became an unforgettable memory. Ly's opponent was an Iranian fighter who had previously defeated her 9-7 in the Philippines and had also just won a world gold medal. Before the match, the pressure weighed heavily on the young woman. Dieu Ly recounted: "I reminded myself that no matter the result, I had to fight until the very last second, because I am a member of the Army and I am representing my country." In the first few seconds, Ly was trailing 0-1. Looking up at the stands, she saw her team's supporters silent in tension.

But then Dieu Ly unexpectedly accelerated. A precise kick. A skillful counter-attack. From being behind, she turned the tables to win 4-1 just as the clock ran out. Dieu Ly burst into tears right on the mat. It wasn't just a victory against a strong opponent, but also a victory over the memory of defeat, over the pressure and fear within herself.

To date, at the age of 21, Dieu Ly boasts an impressive record with numerous gold, silver, and bronze medals at world, Asian, Southeast Asian, and national competitions. In 2025 alone, she won a gold medal at the Northern Region Karate Championship, followed by the National Youth Championship, the National Cup, the Asian Youth Championship, and two gold and one silver medal at the Southeast Asian Championship.

With exceptionally outstanding achievements, Lieutenant Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly has been awarded the Second Class Labor Medal by the President of Vietnam three times (in 2024 and twice in 2025); and has been awarded the title of "Outstanding Soldier at the Grassroots Level" for three consecutive years (2022, 2023, and 2024). Recently, Dieu Ly was honored as one of the Outstanding Young Faces of the entire army in 2025. However, what everyone admires most about this young woman is not just her medals, but her indomitable will and the perseverance of a girl who once couldn't even run a few laps around the field. Dieu Ly is also a symbol of the courage of a female soldier who always fights to the very last second; a source of inspiration for a young woman who dares to overcome all her limitations to reach the pinnacle.

Speaking about "Golden Girl" Dieu Ly, Major Hoang Van Huynh, the coach currently training the female martial artist, shared affectionately: "Dieu Ly is a girl full of determination, courage, and a proactive, eager-to-learn spirit. She always knows how to push herself beyond her limits. I believe that Dieu Ly will achieve even more impressive results, contributing more to military sports and the national karate team."

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-17/tu-co-be-yeu-ot-tro-thanh-co-gai-vang-1040966