It's time for a change
The Vietnamese boxing team will participate in the 2024 Asian Championship (closing in Thailand on December 11) with a squad of 9 female players: Ngo Ngoc Linh Chi, Ngo Thi Mai Chuc, Ha Thi Linh, Nguyen Thu Trang, Luu Diem Quynh, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tran, Tran Thi Kim Chi, Nguyen Huyen Tran, Hoang Ngoc Mai. After many years, Vietnamese boxing has not had a famous face like Nguyen Thi Tam participating in this arena. The main reason for her absence is that Nguyen Thi Tam underwent surgery to treat an injury.
However, the leader of the Vietnamese boxing team at this tournament - Mr. Dam Cong Dien once expressed: "We see that we are starting in a transitional phase and must focus on young athletes. They need to be given opportunities to compete and develop."
Nguyen Thi Tam is good at the women's 50kg category. Her replacement at the 2024 Asian Championship is boxer Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tran. With her efforts, Ngoc Tran entered the finals of the weight category to win the Silver Medal.
The surprise of the Vietnamese boxing team this time lies in the case of player Ngo Ngoc Linh Chi. The boxer has just turned 19 years old, participating in the Asian arena for the first time. "We see that Linh Chi has her own determination, daring to fight in the match, without any pressure", the representative of the coaching staff discussed with Vietnam from Thailand.
At the 2024 Asian Championship, Linh Chi won the right to compete in the final match of the women's 48kg category. In history, Vietnamese boxing has never recorded a face of such a young age reaching the final match in the first time competing at the continental level.
SEA Games 32 (2023), ASIAD 19 (2023) and the 2024 Paris Olympics (France) are the three most important arenas where Vietnamese women's boxing has athletes competing. From the tournaments, managers see where Vietnamese women's boxing needs to change and prepare to be better, capable of achieving its performance goals. From the SEA Games to the Asian and then the world arenas, each level has a different gap. The Department of Physical Training and Sports focuses on investing in boxing in the small weight class for women to be able to compete. From the 2024 Asian Championship, Linh Chi and Ngoc Tran have affirmed themselves.
Have a chance to succeed
The athlete Ha Thi Linh was the third person to enter the final round of the 2024 Asian Championship (women's 63kg category). However, the boxer who participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics (France) could not succeed and lost the match, receiving a Silver Medal. At the age of 31, Ha Thi Linh still maintains her determination. But honestly speaking, she is starting to be affected by her age because it is difficult to overcome her opponents when facing them.
Of the 9 athletes participating in the 2024 Asian Championship, we have 4 athletes entering the semi-finals (48kg, 50kg, 63kg, 70kg) and 3 of them won.
Boxing is a key sport in Vietnamese sports with key athletes to be invested in heading to the ASIAD arena. We have had athletes competing in the 54kg (Vu Thi Ngoc Anh) and 63kg (Ha Thi Linh) categories at the 2024 Paris Olympics (France), so a more focused investment plan is being developed.
According to the coaching staff of the Vietnam Boxing Team, this is a special sport so it requires careful professional and human calculations, based on the practical abilities of the athletes. Because the SEA Games, Asia or ASIAD arena gathers many of the world's top female athletes. If Vietnamese athletes grow up from here, the prospect of achieving high results at the next level is very promising.
