Two value results
Athlete Dang Thi Linh won the most valuable result in her career, the Gold Medal in the women's 70kg weight class at the 2026 World Beach Wrestling Championships just concluded on Da Nang city beach on May 10. For the first time, Vietnam is the host of the World Beach Wrestling Championships. And also for the first time, Dang Thi Linh won a Gold Medal at a world-class tournament in her career. She emotionally shared with the media on Da Nang beach: "I would like to send this medal to fans and family, along with friends and teachers who have always accompanied and cheered for me in the past tournaments.
Dang Thi Linh managed to return to participate in the 2026 World Beach wrestling Championships after completing the competition program of the 2026 Asian Beach Games held right before in Sanya city (China). That was also the first time this female athlete from Thanh Hoa received the task of competing at the Asian Beach Games. Dang Thi Linh competed against many top Asian women's beach wrestlers here. Despite the sunny, windy weather and competing on the sandy skies of the 2026 Asian Beach Games, this female athlete completed the task of winning the Silver Medal in the women's 70kg weight class. She shared when returning to Vietnam: "I regret a little when I have the opportunity to succeed and surpass, but I cannot be as specific as the Gold Medal. Even so, the Silver Medal result is still a memorable achievement of mine".
Two valuable medals at two consecutive international tournaments have confirmed that Dang Thi Linh maintains stable form. Vietnamese sports are starting to develop more strongly with beach wrestling. Athletes competing on indoor wrestling floors are all tested on sand floors. However, without good physical preparation and basic technical foundation, all wrestlers are prone to injuries when competing on the beach.
Assessing Dang Thi Linh's achievements, General Secretary of the Vietnamese Wrestling Federation and also in charge of wrestling (Vietnam Department of Physical Education and Sports) - Mr. Ta Dinh Duc said that this is one of the strong athletes of Vietnamese women's wrestling. And, "Dang Thi Linh always shows the highest determination to win in every match in any wrestling arena," Mr. Ta Dinh Duc shared.
Willpower is what determines success
The will and determination were built for Dang Thi Linh since she started practicing women's freestyle wrestling. Dang Thi Linh was originally a stick pusher when she was in high school. This girl from the Nga Son countryside (Thanh Hoa) was discovered by the wrestling coaches of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Sports Center to have sports qualities when witnessing her compete in the stick pushing tournament at a local school. At that time, Dang Thi Linh was in 10th grade.
Before the figure of the female student with strong hands and predicting that this is a factor that will be successful in freestyle wrestling, the coaches of Thanh Hoa Provincial Sports Center persuaded her family and Dang Thi Linh to practice this sport. Dang Thi Linh once talked on the floor of Gia Lam Sports Complex (Hanoi), after winning the SEA Games 31 Gold Medal, that: "I have been practicing wrestling for nearly 10 years.
When I first came to wrestling, I was unfamiliar with practicing basic techniques. How should my hands and feet coordinate rhythmically. Along with that is to grasp the stances to lock opponents. It's not easy for girls to practice wrestling. There were times when I cried because I missed home, but I believed that I had accepted to pursue a career and would not give up halfway.
Dang Thi Linh's confidence is like a heartfelt word because the female athlete herself is always eager to achieve the highest achievements in expertise. For each wrestler, especially athletes in the heavyweight group, professional preparation must be very careful. Dang Thi Linh always determines that she is not a special factor. She focuses on training and perfecting techniques under the guidance of the coach. Therefore, Dang Thi Linh is not afraid to go to the field to train with male athletes. Because only then can she achieve strength and train her strong hands to perform wrestling moves to score points in competition.
SEA Games 31, Dang Thi Linh won the Gold Medal in the women's over 70kg freestyle wrestling category. SEA Games 32, she successfully defended the Gold Medal when competing in Cambodia. A little regret when Dang Thi Linh could not have the opportunity to win the SEA Games championship for the 3rd consecutive time because the 33rd SEA Games did not organize the women's over 70kg freestyle wrestling category.
In my career, athletes sometimes have to go through failures to achieve success. I am no exception. After each failure, I understand what I have to improve to be better. In 2018, I participated in the National Sports Games and won a Silver Medal. In 2022, I changed the color of the medal to win the National Sports Games for the first time. In 2026, I will focus on the task of conquering the highest results at the National Sports Games to be held in Ho Chi Minh City" - Dang Thi Linh added.
Since participating in the National Wrestling Championships, Dang Thi Linh has won seven consecutive times. She started the National Championship in 2019. This year, the national championship competition program will belong to the X-2026 National Sports Games, so Dang Thi Linh hopes to continue to achieve the best results for Thanh Hoa sports.
In her career, Dang Thi Linh first participated in the Asian Games, the 19th ASIAD held in 2023 in China. This athlete reached the quarterfinals of the women's 76kg weight class. However, Dang Thi Linh could not win in the Repechage round to have a spot to compete for the Bronze medal. At that time, Dang Thi Linh was only 23 years old.
Although a professional wrestling athlete, Dang Thi Linh still focuses on studying culture. She did not pursue an academic career at Bac Ninh University of Physical Education and Sports like her teammates, but completed a Bachelor of Business Administration degree at the University of Economics under Vietnam National University, Hanoi. In August 2025, Dang Thi Linh was honored to be awarded a Bachelor's degree after graduating from her academic program.
