Experience is valuable
Mai Hoang My Trang (table tennis) was awarded a place to participate in the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand this time. At the age of U40, the tennis player from Ho Chi Minh City is one of the most experienced players of the Vietnam Table Tennis Team in the Southeast Asian arena.
She has won many international medals in her career, while maintaining her current stable performance, so the Vietnam Table Tennis Team decided to give Mai Hoang My Trang the opportunity to compete in the 33rd SEA Games. In some exchanges, Mai Hoang My Trang expressed that her experience in competition brought her an experience.
However, when she was older, My Trang herself aimed for a coaching career in the future. In addition to Mai Hoang My Trang, many older Vietnamese sports players (over 30 years old) also consider the 33rd SEA Games as their last to demonstrate their professional abilities such as Nguyen Tien Nhat (boxing), Ha Thi Linh (boxing), Dinh Phuong Thanh (physical equipment), Duong Thuy Vi (wushu) ...
A representative of the Vietnam Wushu Team's Coaching Board preparing for the 33rd SEA Games once said: "Duong Thuy Vi is an experienced athlete with high professional discipline. In preparation and competition, Duong Thuy Vi is always the face for her young teammates to learn and follow. Experience is something we really appreciate in this player.
The representative of the Vietnamese figure skating team said: "Ding Phuong Thanh has had a successful professional career in tournaments. However, in his professional experience, this player still focuses on preparing for training to achieve the best results. With the 33rd SEA Games, Dinh Phuong Thanh is the athlete for us to have high expectations for competition results".
Those who make their mark
After the 32nd SEA Games and the 19th ASIAD and the 2024 Paris Olympics (France), Vietnamese sports have held two important professional seminars to reorient investment in high-performance sports. In particular, the manager noted the opinions of experts and managers that Vietnamese sports must focus on investing in training for young faces with professional potential and setting goals for each key event. However, experienced athletes are still needed.
To successfully become the top country to win Gold Medals at recent SEA Games, Vietnamese sports are waiting for competition results from top athletes. Nguyen Tien Nhat, Mai Hoang My Trang, Ha Thi Linh, Dinh Phuong Thanh, Duong Thuy Vi... all won high results at the SEA Games. They are a symbol of Vietnamese sports.
Athlete Duong Thuy Vi is a symbol of Vietnamese wushu and has won Gold Medals at the World Championships, ASIAD and SEA Games. This year, Duong Thuy Vi is 32 years old.
She expressed: "I am still focused on preparing for the competition to achieve the best results at the 33rd SEA Games. I really hope to share my experiences with my teammates to ensure the best competition results".
In history, Vietnamese sports have recorded the oldest athletes to win the SEA Games Gold Medal as shooters Hoang Xuan Vinh and Tran Quoc Cuong. Former shooters have won Gold Medals at the SEA Games in their over 40s.
At the 31st SEA Games held in Vietnam in 2022, shooter Tran Quoc Cuong won the Gold Medal in the men's 50m sports pistol shooting event. Now, Mr. Cuong is a member of the Pistol Team Coaching Committee of the Vietnam Shooting Team preparing for the 33rd SEA Games.
This coach discussed: We or any sport are always ready to compete with all our might for the color of the flag and shirt, bringing glory to Vietnamese sports. The players who are experienced and achieve competition results are all the spiritual support to bring results. The mark of achievement is still what we all aim for".
