SEA Games 33 is an unforgettable memory
Nguyen Trung Cuong returned to professional training at the Vietnam Athletics Team from the beginning of 2026. The male athlete from Ha Tinh said that his priority is to focus on professional preparation to accumulate the fullest physical strength with the desire to complete domestic and international tasks in 2026.
“Recalling 2025, I have unforgettable memories. Among them, the Gold Medal result in the 3,000m obstacle course is what I had been waiting for and achieved my set target. However, SEA Games 33 has closed. Now, I am aiming for the next challenges,” Nguyen Trung Cuong said.
Recalling his international playing career, Nguyen Trung Cuong said that he has gone through many levels from playing in youth tournaments to Asian tournaments or SEA Games, ASIAD. From those competitions, this male player himself has drawn valuable professional experience for himself.
Looking at the professional journey, Trung Cuong is one of the few male athletes of the Vietnam Athletics Team who has won consecutive Gold Medals in the 3,000m steeplechase event at the two Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 32, 33).
In 2023, when competing at SEA Games 32 in Cambodia, I was the only male athlete of the team to win a Gold Medal in the 3,000m obstacle course individual event. At SEA Games 33, I defended my achievements, so I am very proud and appreciate the results achieved," Nguyen Trung Cuong added.
At SEA Games 33 in Thailand, perhaps, Trung Cuong's professional achievements did not completely attract the attention of the audience on the field. However, this player was still enthusiastically cheered by a memorable action when reaching the finish line.
This is the moment Trung Cuong raised his parents' photo (kept in gloves) to encourage himself and congratulate himself when reaching the finish line, winning the Gold Medal in the 3,000m obstacle course. On the field, all reporters' lenses were pointed at him to capture the very touching moment above.
I kept the 2 photos very carefully in my gloves because my parents in my hometown could not come to Thailand to cheer for my child to compete. When I reached the finish line, I took out the photo to encourage myself and at that time I saw that my parents were present in Thailand," the male athlete expressed. Therefore, not only the Gold Medal achievement but also the moment of bringing my parents' photos to celebrate the victory is a memorable memory of Trung Cuong at SEA Games 33.
Not wanting to miss ASIAD 20
The motivation for Trung Cuong to achieve success is the encouragement from relatives and the will to practice and prepare professionally. This year, the goal of the athlete is not to miss the ASIAD 20.
3 years ago, Trung Cuong was one of the few Vietnamese track and field athletes who competed in ASIAD 19 in China. Unfortunately, the male athlete violated the rules in the 3,000m obstacle course, so there was no final result. Nguyen Trung Cuong said: "That is what I have learned a lot for myself. With professional competition in the Asian Games arena, all standards must only be performed to the best".
In 2025, Trung Cuong has a personal mark of deeply breaking the National Record in the men's 3,000m hurdles event from his performance at the Asian Championship. At this tournament, Nguyen Trung Cuong achieved a result of 8 minutes 38 seconds 25 and ranked 5th. The record confirmed to break the national record of the player himself, set in 2018 (when participating in the World Youth U20 Championship) was 8 minutes 51 seconds 16.
At the opening ceremony of the new year 2026 at the National High-Level Athlete Training Center, Nguyen Trung Cuong clearly showed his professional determination. The male athlete affirmed that to be successful, the first thing to do is to follow the training plan from the coach. After that, if he sets a clear goal, he will do well in the assigned task.
Experts have given no shortage of praise for the achievements that Nguyen Trung Cuong has in international tournaments or SEA Games in the 3,000m obstacle course for men for the Vietnamese athletics team. However, the athlete from Ha Tinh affirmed that his results are accumulation and knowing how to listen to professional adjustments from the coaches.
With 6 months left, Nguyen Trung Cuong will enter the ASIAD 20 competition. Physical and endurance preparation is being carried out meticulously according to each training cycle. Coach Tran Van Sy directly coaches Trung Cuong at the Vietnam Athletics Team. He does not share much about his student in front of the media. However, during training sessions and every time he competes in official tournaments, the teacher always supervises and adjusts tactics for his student very carefully. Therefore, Trung Cuong is very confident in winning an official ticket to compete in ASIAD 20 and is not missing out on professional achievements.
The 2026 National Marathon Championship is a personal opportunity
Nguyen Trung Cuong is one of the faces that fans and experts are interested in before the 2026 National Marathon Championship of Tien Phong Newspaper kicks off in Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa).
This year, the marathon - 42km men's and 42km women's events of the tournament are counted as achievements of the X-2026 National Sports Games. In athletics, Trung Cuong is a strong person in the 3,000m obstacle course or 5,000m, 10,000m.
When competing on the road with long distances, Trung Cuong is the leading athlete of the semi-marathon - 21km distance. It is not ruled out that Nguyen Trung Cuong can also appear in the marathon - 42km event. However, Trung Cuong maintains a very careful tactic, not rushing to reveal his professional preparation to aim for the tournament.
The male athlete affirmed: "I am determined to compete and achieve high results at the 2026 National Marathon Championship of Tien Phong Newspaper. I was ranked No. 1 in the semi-marathon - 21km when participating in the 2024 and 2025 tournaments.
The official competition program of this year's National Sports Games will be in December in Ho Chi Minh City. Of course, the 2026 National Marathon Championship of Tien Phong Newspaper is a valuable test for myself as well as for Vietnamese athletics endurance athletes before the Games.
Going back 4 years, Nguyen Trung Cuong received many rounds of applause from the audience present at My Dinh National Stadium after winning 2 Gold Medals in Athletics at the 9th National Sports Festival -2022 (5,000m, 3,000m hurdles).
Recalling that moment, Trung Cuong said: "The first two Gold Medals that I won at the 2022 National Sports Games will definitely never be forgotten. That was the time I affirmed to everyone that I had returned stronger and played more solidly.
After 4 years, Nguyen Trung Cuong has gained more experience. The performance of competing at the National Sports Games is a very important measure of each athletic athlete, including Trung Cuong. "I cannot say anything in advance. Everything is still ahead," Trung Cuong expressed.
Coming from the countryside of Ky Anh (Ha Tinh), Trung Cuong has become acquainted, trained and become a professional track and field athlete. Entering the age of 26 (Trung Cuong was born in 2000), this athlete has a collection of gold medals at national-level track and field tournaments. The only point that Trung Cuong always sets out as a slogan for himself is: "You must always constantly strive, not ignore the goal of conquering achievements!".
