Impressive international achievements
2025 marks the successful competition period of Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien. He won the gold medal in the rear-wheel event at the World Challenge Cup held in Bulgaria. This is the highest international title in the career of the athlete born in 2002, and at the same time helped the Vietnamese gymnastics team have another world champion after 7 years.
Previously, at the 2025 Asian Championship in Korea, Xuan Thien achieved an average score of 13,233 and won the bronze medal in the rearing horse, also the first medal for Vietnam in the tournament.
In the domestic arena, Xuan Thien continued to show stable performance when winning the gold medal in the round horse at the 2025 national championship, affirming his No. 1 position in the high school event.
This series of achievements continues to extend the mark that Xuan Thien has established in the SEA Games. He won the gold medal at the 31st SEA Games at home in 2022 and successfully defended his championship title at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia.
The consecutive overcoming of strong opponents from the Philippines and Thailand shows the progress in techniques, stability and competitive mentality of this young athlete.
Coach Truong Minh Sang of the Vietnamese gymnastics team highly appreciated the performance and perseverance of his students. He said that the gold medal in Bulgaria and the Asian bronze medal are worthy rewards for Xuan Thien's methodical and serious preparation process.
According to Mr. Sang, Xuan Thien is one of the key factors that can aim for medals in major arenas such as the ASIAD or the Olympics, if they continue to improve the difficulty and stability of the competition.
Preparation and goals at the 33rd SEA Games
After international tournaments, Xuan Thien and the Vietnamese gymnastics team will enter the preparation stage for the 33rd SEA Games taking place in December. Currently, he is the current champion of the thorough draft and aims to defend the gold medal for the third consecutive time.
Xuan Thien said that he is currently focusing on practicing techniques and adjusting the difficulty of the test to suit the rules at the SEA Games. Recent tournaments have helped the male athlete accumulate a lot of experience, while increasing his confidence when facing opponents in the region.
" Participating in the recent Asian tournaments and the World Cup has helped me practice my competitive mentality. Technically, I am perfecting more movements to achieve higher stability for the 33rd SEA Games," Xuan Thien said.
The 23-year-old player affirmed that he is reaching about 80% of his form and all preparations are taking place according to plan. He admitted that the biggest pressure at the moment is to protect his achievements, but affirmed that his playing mentality is not affected by opponents.
"I was just afraid that I wouldn't do well, and that the opponents wouldn't make me waver. I aim to win a gold medal for myself," Xuan Thien shared.
When asked about his long-term goals, Xuan Thien said he wanted to aim for bigger tournaments after the SEA Games: "I think the SEA Games is a stepping stone. After the Games, I want to continue competing in Asian and World tournaments to improve my skills. I want to get closer to Olympic standards in the future."
2025 is an important milestone for Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien's career. With two international medals, a national title and a determination to defend the SEA Games title, the 23-year-old athlete has become the biggest hope for Vietnamese gymnastics in the regional arena.
