Efforts in a new role
Guo Cong Lich officially retires from 2025. Many people in the profession are still surprised by the above decision, but this former national player once expressed that he has thought carefully and carefully calculated from there to determine this is the right time to retire from the track and focus on a new job: Coach.
Leaving the running track at the National Sports Training Center in Hanoi, Quach Cong Lich could not help but feel sad. Throughout the training process as a national player, this place is like the second familiar home of Quach Cong Lich.
Returning to the Thanh Hoa management unit, I started a new job and I am still accumulating my expertise and learning from teachers and colleagues to bring useful results when participating in athlete training, Quach Cong Lich expressed.
Looking back at his competition achievements, Quach Cong Lich is one of the athletes with the best results in the men's 400m and 400m hurdles that Vietnam Athletics has discovered and trained to compete in. Currently, the national record for the men's 400m hurdles (50 seconds 05) and men's 400m (45 seconds 99) is still held by Quach Cong Lich.
Quach Cong Lich's first mark was the Gold Medal at the 2012 National Athletics Championship. At that time, the young man from Ngoc Lac (Thanh Hoa) competed with the most fulfillment on the race track to be the first finisher as well as affirm his readiness to conquer all challenges. In the following years, Quach Cong Lich was always a highlight of Thanh Hoa Athletics at the National Athletics Championship.
After more than 13 years of practicing and competing in professional athletics, Quach Cong Lich himself understands that the roles of athlete and coach are very different with separate responsibilities. As a coaching staff member, working professionally at the Thanh Hoa Athletics Team, I understood my responsibility and always set a goal of being able to train good athletes to achieve success in the future, coach Quach Cong Lich confided.
Athletics is a way of life
The 2024 National Athletics Championship is Quach Cong Lich's last tournament as an athlete. From now on, Quach Cong Lich will take on the role of coach in tournaments. Both friends and relatives know that Quach Cong Lich has a goal of becoming a coach as soon as he is still playing on the track.
That is why, after the tournaments, Quach Cong Lich has trained himself to complete the university program at Bac Ninh University of Physical Education and Sports. Not only that, in 2022, Quach Cong Lich will continue to receive a master's degree in Physical Education from Bac Ninh University of Physical Education and Sports. The former player believes that success always comes from accumulation and learning. Modern sports not only have experience but also need a lot of knowledge to learn, to supplement their expertise.
"As an athlete, spending time studying culture was not easy, but I set a goal for myself to study, because the results will help me in my future work. Therefore, my sister and I have completed the study program to get a professional degree, said the former player.
Speaking about athletics or the 400m and 400m hurdles, Quach Cong Lich will share a lot because that is his forte and his passion for sports. Looking back on his professional journey, Quach Cong Lich is an athlete who has invested significantly to best promote his professional abilities.
In 2013, 2014, 2015, Quach Cong Lich and his younger sister Quach Thi Lan were sent to train in the US by Thanh Hoa Sports in coordination with the Department of Physical Education and Sports. The program is a talent investment for Lich and Lan to have the opportunity to become famous in Vietnam Athletics.
From the training sessions and coaching by teachers at the Vietnam Athletics Team, Thanh Hoa Athletics Team, Quach Cong Lich also accumulated a lot of experience for himself. For me, studying is never-ending and in athletics, the experiences are passed down by teachers to improve myself, Quach Cong Lich shared.
Head coach of Thanh Hoa Athletics Team - Mr. Tran Van Sy said that when Quach Cong Lich ended his career, the sports unit created maximum conditions and arranged work for the former player to immediately start coaching.
Coach Vu Ngoc Loi of the Vietnam Athletics Team discussed that with his desire to learn and have had a period of successful competition, coach Quach Cong Lich is fully capable of developing a successful coaching career in the future. Experts always understand that any sport needs a team of qualified young coaches and they are the next force to follow the previous one to help the sport develop sustainably.
Beautiful love affair with volleyball player
In the sports world at this time, the relationship between Quach Cong Lich and his friend - volleyball striker Pham Thi Nguyet Anh is being mentioned a lot. They almost never make public the information in the press or social networks, but their friends all know that Quach Cong Lich and Pham Thi Nguyet Anh have known each other for many years.
Both of them really appreciate each other's professional work and in any circumstances, Quach Cong Lich always encourages Pham Thi Nguyet Anh and vice versa from the main striker who is playing for the Information Corps team.
Quach Cong Lich did not share his personal story with the press because this former player wanted to keep a private space and privacy for himself. However, through social networks, in tournaments that Quach Cong Lich (previously) or Pham Thi Nguyet Anh competed in, the two often quietly cheered and encouraged each other with the most meaningful comments.
The family and relatives strongly support the beautiful relationship between Quach Cong Lich and Pham Thi Nguyet Anh. Above all, when both have a stable mentality, they will strive to contribute their expertise without obstacles.
Remember in 2023, when the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team competed in the Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship in Vinh Phuc, many reporters' lenses were able to see Quach Cong Lich silently in the stands cheering for his other half playing on the field. That was the day Quach Cong Lich had a day off from practice according to regulations, so he took the time to catch a bus to watch and cheer for the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team and then quickly returned.
Now, Quach Cong Lich has switched to coaching, so his work will be as time-consuming and busy as when he was an athlete. However, this former player has never missed the matches in which Pham Thi Nguyet Anh competed. The two believe that no matter where they are, each person always has a way to cheer for the other half regardless of geography.
