'Tiny' boxer 1.49m Dao Hong Son: SEA Games gold medal hope and 'unprofessional' challenge

With two SEA Games gold medals and as the reigning world champion in the 56 kg weight class, Dao Hong Son continues to be a top hope for Vietnamese jujitsu. However, at this tournament, the 1.49 m tall fighter faces the difficult reality of competing in the 62 kg weight class, which is not his specialty.

"Reluctant rookie"

Standing at 1.49 meters tall, Dao Hong Son has turned his small stature into a powerful weapon to dominate the 56 kg weight class of jujitsu. Son's record of achievements makes any opponent wary: 2 consecutive gold medals at the 31st SEA Games and 56 kg world championship.

However, the journey to defend the title at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand was a completely different story. Because the host country cut his specialty of 56 kg, the 28-year-old boxer had to compete in the 62 kg fighting category.

Dao Hong Son plays against his strengths at SEA Games 33

PHOTO: FBNV

Sharing quickly with Thanh Nien reporter after the weight check in Thailand, Dao Hong Son said that his health is completely stable because he did not have to go through the weight loss process as usual. "My health is very good now, because I do not have to lose weight. Because normally I am already 62 kg, sometimes even less. Just eat well and sleep well and I will gain enough weight," Son humorously shared.

It may sound like an advantage at first, but for experts, this is a big disadvantage. In the 62 kg class, opponents often have a natural weight of up to 67 - 70 kg and are forced down to compete. When they "recover", they will be much bigger, stronger and thicker than Son. A 1.49 meter boxer with a natural weight fighting tall, long-armed opponents in a larger weight class is truly a physical "egg vs stone" battle.

"It's like going from wrestling to karate"

The difficulty in weight class is only part of the challenge, the biggest challenge lies in the competition format. Dao Hong Son is good at wrestling, chokes, and ground combat (full contact), where he can approach and finish off opponents with technique. But the fighting content at this SEA Games is different: "It's like a guy who used to wrestle, but now he's completely switched to karate."

The world champion could not hide his concern: "The organizers have cut all the events that I compete in internationally. I have never competed in this event before, I have only been practicing for a few months. This is fighting, half contact, scoring, not full contact, grappling like I used to compete in."

With a height of 1.49 meters, having to stand and fight with taller opponents in the 62 kg class is a difficult problem. "Firstly, the arm span is at a disadvantage, height is already too much of a disadvantage. Fighting in the 56 kg weight class is already a disadvantage, fighting in the 62 kg class is even more of a disadvantage," Son analyzed.

Fight for the flag and colors

Even though he knew that his chances of winning were much narrower, and he had to give up his "upper hand" position to enter the competition as a newbie who had been training for a few months, Dao Hong Son still maintained the spirit of a boxer. "Competing in a new weight class, which is not his forte, is definitely difficult. As for the match, I just have to fight to the best of my ability... Actually, I just want to compete for the national team, it's very difficult. Competing in a new weight class, which is not my forte, is definitely difficult. As for the match, I just have to fight to the best of my ability. The goal is to try to win a medal," Hong Son confided.

In Thailand, fans will not only wait for the medal, but also wait for the indomitable will of "dwarf" Dao Hong Son in the face of challenges beyond his limits.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vo-si-ti-hon-149m-dao-hong-son-niem-hy-vong-vang-sea-games-va-thu-thach-trai-nghe-185251209211048764.htm