In the prime of form
Nguyen Thi My Trang has started the new year 2025 with a smooth result of the Gold Medal in the women's 57kg weight category in the 2025 National Club Cup Tournament held in Ba Ria - Vung Tau (closed on March 11). When this article was published, the female player continued to prepare professionally before leaving for the 2025 Asian Championship to compete in Jordan (from March 25 to 30).
"I returned to the professional training cycle in January this year. In February 2025, the Vietnam National Wrestling Team gathered and I continued to be a member of the National Women's Free event group. Competing in the 2025 National Club Cup is my first choice, then I will participate in the 2025 National Beach Championship and then compete in the 2025 Asian Championship. I am determined to have the highest achievements in the tournaments.
Not a person who shares a lot on the media, but every time she talks, Nguyen Thi My Trang always confides in her expertise. Because she is interested in talking about the sport she loves. My Trang herself admitted that she still needs to accumulate more expertise.
Above all, she understands that maintaining a confident state when on the floor and then being ready to step up is in high concentration. My Trang grew up in the local unit TT-Hue until she was a member of the current Vietnam Women's Free Stock Team, the female player is considered by many coaches to have significant resilience.
In competition, the techniques of swerving, weaving or locking will be important for an athlete, but above all, qualities or instinct are also what bring the spirit to help athletes achieve success in big matches. My Trang is one of the Vietnamese female players who has achieved this, said coach of the Vietnam Women's Free kick Team - Mr. Tran Van Son.
My Trang shared that the period when she started practicing sports in the sport was around 2011. With no family income, My Trang decided to pursue a sports career because she simply wanted to reduce the burden on her parents. She also considered that choice as a temporary left-hand job before shaping her work more specifically.
However, after a period of training, competition and achieving results at all levels from youth tournaments to national tournaments, My Trang has become more and more interested in the sport. She understood that this was her right choice for this very special combat martial art sport.
Goal of conquering the 33rd SEA Games Gold Medal
In the past 5 years, Nguyen Thi My Trang has been the face with the most significant international results for Vietnamese women's freestyle. In 2023, she won a Bronze Medal at the U23 Asian Youth Championship. This is the only medal of the Vietnam Youth Chess Team at the tournament. Previously in 2017, Nguyen Thi My Trang won a Bronze Medal at the Asian Youth Championship.
In fact, professionals see that Vietnamese female freestyle athletes have superior expertise against opponents in the Southeast Asian arena, but when they step into the Asian arena, we often lose the match.
The reason lies in the overwhelming distance between athletes in Asia and Vietnamese athletes. However, My Trang is confident in her own abilities. She expressed that she is not afraid of opponents in Asia and if she practices thoroughly as well as has the opportunity to compete in international tournaments regularly, she will be able to get good results.
Recalling her first time attending the 31st SEA Games at home (May 2022), My Trang found it an interesting match because in addition to the Gold Medal result for herself, there were also memories that were enthusiastically cheered by the home audience. At Gia Lam Stadium (Hanoi) at that time, My Trang took less than three minutes in the final to overwhelm Minalyn Foy-os Langngag (Philippines), winning the women's 57kg category.
At the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, My Trang entered the women's 57kg category final for the second time and it took her less than three minutes to beat Danielle Lim (Singapore). My Trang has completed the goal of protecting the Gold Medal.
I know that this year the sport will continue to be held at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand. I am preparing most carefully and looking for a place to participate in this arena. The goal I set is still to achieve the best results, so all preparations are very focused, My Trang added.
At this time, the 2025 Asian Championship will be a measure to test Nguyen Thi My Trang's level. The last time the Vietnam women's freestyle team won a medal at the Asian Championship was the Bronze Medal in 2017 (achievement of Dao Thi Huong, women's 58kg category).
Since then, before the 2025 Asian Championship, Vietnamese players have not won any more medals in this tournament. When achieving a decrease in performance, Nguyen Thi My Trang is capable of winning a medal for the Vietnam women's freestyle at the 2025 Asian Championship.
The capacity of the 2028 Olympics, why not?
Nguyen Thi My Trang already knows how fiercely it feels to compete in the Olympic qualifiers. Last year, the Vietnam National Weightlifting Team only sent two female athletes to compete in the Olympic qualifiers (Nguyen Thi My Trang, Nguyen Thi Xuan). They will participate in qualifying rounds in Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye to find a chance to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics (France). The results have not been successful. My Trang shared that not winning an Olympic spot was a concern for her.
This year, My Trang is 24 years old. The female do thi from TT-Hue received an assessment of her ability to develop her skills well in the next 5 years and the opportunity to compete for a place in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (USA) continues to open up. Through each tournament, My Trang herself has accumulated significant expertise to be as comprehensive as it is now.
The Asian women's athlete of the small weight class is winning the Gold Medal at the Olympics. Learning to grasp the appropriate investment is what Vietnamese sports are doing for the Vietnam National Weightlifting Team, especially the women's freestyle event group.
Nguyen Thi My Trang is still a female face in the group of key athletes that Vietnamese things focus on developing and investing resources in. We are not in a hurry to talk about achievements because to have a growth tree, we must do well from the roots.
My Trang and some other female players that we have qualities for the sport, so the investment for their development is completely feasible, analyzed General Secretary of the Vietnam vatets Federation - Mr. Ta Dinh Duc.
Two years ago, My Trang was tested at the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD 19). She stopped early in the first round of the event. Overall, after the 19th ASIAD, My Trang grasped the shortcomings that needed to be accumulated and learned from.
If it reaches its full potential, My Trang can completely enter the top group in her events in the Asian arena, but to succeed, there will be meticulous preparation and the player herself needs a cold head when competing against the opponents, coach Tran Van Son added.
