From talented young athlete to dedicated coach

Le Thi Viet Trinh teaches swimming to children - Photo: XV

From the “green track”…

Born on the banks of the Kien Giang River, Le Thi Viet Trinh knew how to swim at the age of 4. Back then, every summer afternoon, she often followed her father to the river to bathe. Seeing her passion for swimming, Trinh's father took 2 banana trees and joined them together to make a raft and taught her how to swim. At the age of 6, she not only swam well but also swam faster and farther than her peers.

At the age of 10, Viet Trinh was discovered by a swimming teacher who guided her to master swimming techniques. That year, she participated in the Phu Dong Sports Festival at the district level and won first prize in the 50m freestyle and second prize in the 50m breaststroke. With that achievement, Viet Trinh was called up to the provincial swimming team to practice and compete professionally.

“At that time, I only thought of letting my child swim to exercise and prevent drowning. But after only a few years, my child was called up to the provincial and national swimming teams to compete professionally, my family was very happy,” said Mr. Le Van Cuong, Viet Trinh’s father.

At that time, most of the high-performance athletes from Quang Binh went to Da Nang to train. At only 11 years old, he had to leave his parents to pursue his passion. There were times when he missed home and was tired, but he always tried his best to train and compete.

In 2007, Viet Trinh participated in the national youth tournament and won a bronze medal. In the same year, she was called up to the national youth team, and in 2010, she was called up to the national team and continuously achieved many achievements.

From 2007-2014, Viet Trinh was a familiar face in major tournaments in the country and the region. On average, each year, Viet Trinh competed in 4 tournaments, in many different events, including: Breaststroke, mixed, relay, butterfly..., winning about 300 medals, including about 200 gold medals at youth tournaments, national and international championships.

There, she competed in 16 events and won 15 gold medals, 1 silver medal (HCB), helping Quang Binh province (old) rank 2nd overall. Among Viet Trinh's achievements, there was 1 gold medal at the Southeast Asian student swimming competition. In 2011, she was selected to compete in the SEA Games in Indonesia and reached the final round.

From 2014 to 2018, Viet Trinh studied swimming at Da Nang University of Physical Education and Sports . During her studies, she switched to practicing and competing in diving and won 2 silver medals at national competitions. In addition to her time studying in the classroom, Viet Trinh also taught swimming to children at swimming centers and clubs to gain experience.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Phu Son, Le Thi Viet Trinh used to be a very excellent athlete. As a coach, Viet Trinh was always dedicated and responsible, discovering and training many good athletes. She has made many contributions to the swimming movement and drowning prevention in her home province.

…to the “fire-bearer”

After graduating, from 2018-2024, the young girl worked at the Department of Culture and Sports of Quang Binh province (old) in charge of swimming. Here, she became a "fire-bearer" when discovering and training many new talented athletes for the province. Currently, 2 of her students have been called up to the national youth team: Pham Chau Hoang Ha (13 years old), Tran Thi Thanh Ha (11 years old) and many talented athletes are competing for schools, localities and the province.

Viet Trinh's students always achieve high results in sports tournaments - Photo: XV

Pham Chau Hoang Ha confided: “Ms. Viet Trinh is like my second mother. Because during the training process, she is both serious and understanding. Not only does she teach swimming, she also teaches how to maintain discipline and live responsibly towards oneself, one’s homeland and one’s country.”

Thanks to the guidance of coach Viet Trinh, athlete Hoang Ha recently won 3 gold medals at the national swimming competition in the 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke events. Previously, in 2024, this athlete also won 4 gold medals at a national youth competition.

Not only is he an excellent athlete and swimming coach, in 2021, this "swimmer" also opened a swimming club, organized swimming lessons at Dong Phu Secondary School swimming pool (Dong Hoi ward), instructing children to practice health and skills to prevent drowning.

Since its establishment, the club has organized about 10 classes every summer, attracting about 300 children to attend. “I never thought I would love swimming so much. But since studying with Ms. Viet Trinh, I find that every day I go to swimming practice is a joy. Now, I can confidently go to the beach or to rivers,” said Nguyen Tran Dang Khoa, a student in the swimming class.

Le Thi Viet Trinh shared: “There have been many tragic drowning incidents, with the victims being mainly children. Therefore, I decided to open swimming classes to help children improve their health, develop their physical strength, and prevent drowning effectively. Through the teaching process, many children with outstanding talents will be recommended to the school, local authorities, and parents for specialized training, helping them compete well or pursue a career in professional swimming.”

Spring King

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/the-thao/202508/tu-van-dong-vien-tre-tai-nang-den-huan-luyen-vien-tam-huyet-f2f59b4/