The desire to revive Khanh Hoa athletics of former team athletes
Nguyen Vinh Thien is one of the outstanding faces of Khanh Hoa athletics in the period 2003 - 2013. The talent of the athlete born in 1984 was discovered in middle school when participating in school sports tournaments. In 2001, when participating in the Vietnam National Championships in Khanh Hoa province, Thien was discovered and encouraged by coach Hoang Thi Huyen Nga. Only a year later, he attended the national cross-country tournament and finished fourth in the 7km content. This achievement adds confidence and is a springboard for athletes from Cam Lam district to make a breakthrough.
At that time, the golden generation of Khanh Hoa athletics with names like Pham Dinh Khanh Doan, Phan Thi Thu Lan, Doan Nu Truc Van was at the end of their career. The province needs inherited youthful factors.
In part, Nguyen Vinh Thien met expectations. He is oriented by the province to compete in medium and long distances. In 2003, this athlete achieved his first medals when he won a silver medal in the 5,000 m distance, a bronze medal in the 3,000 m obstacle course and another 10,000 m bronze at the National Youth Championships.
The peak of his career was in 2009 when he won the 21km championship at the national cross-country tournament. That year, Khanh Hoa was the host locality, also the first year the tournament had a distance of 21km. He won more gold in the 10,000 m at the Ho Chi Minh City International Athletics Championships, and the 5,000 m in National Athletics Championships in the same year. A year later, he tried his hand at 42km and won the bronze medal at the National Sports Congress, just behind the two names of the Vietnamese marathon, Duc Bao and Nguyen Van Long.
"Remembering I still feel happy. I love athletics and medals are proof of effort. But the life of an athlete is not long. I understand this and know that I have to prepare a lot for the next journey. ", the 39-year-old athlete shared.
In 2013, Nguyen Vinh Thien studied more to become a coach. He started as an assistant coach, mainly teaching medium and long distances. At the age of 29, he got married. At this point, new difficulties begin to appear. The financial burden made him decide to retire from the 2016 national team.
The athlete born in 1984 said he went through the most difficult period in his life when, although he wanted to continue to stick with athletics, he had to temporarily put aside his dream for the sake of his family. He worked as an assistant in many projects inside and outside the province, then switched to a petrol salesman and then a hotel employee to make ends meet. "These jobs don't pay much, but they are provided with accommodation and meals, so they can partly take care of money. The money I earn I send back to my wife and children. I just want the family to be full," he confided.
The athlete from Cam Lam admitted at that time that he missed the running track and the feeling of conquering the awards, but could not pursue his dream because he had a small child. Looking at dozens of medals hanging in the corner of the house after work, he became more and more worried about his career. It was also the period when athletics in this province was in short supply of promising young faces. The land of agarwood used to be the cradle of the top runners in Vietnam, holding the record for the 11th consecutive year of the entire Vietnamese national championship team. But after 2015, it is too difficult to score a name that can resonate and dispute rankings in national and international tournaments. "Khanh Hoa athletics has turned from a green oasis to a desert. I'm a bit heartbroken," said Mr. Thien.
In 2020, coach Hoang Thi Huyen Nga - who has been associated with athletics for more than 4 decades in the land of Agarwood, called Thien to invite him back to the coaching position. Huyen Nga is an illustrious athlete for a while, now in charge of the profession, is the head of the athletics department of Khanh Hoa province. The invitation from the old teacher ignited the fire of passion that has been smoldering for many years. Mr. Thien nodded in agreement to return to the Technical Training Center of Sports and Sports, and the coaches continued to train the youth.
The day he returned to work, Nguyen Vinh Thien was both happy and worried. This is the passion, which has helped him grow but has been put off for too long. He was worried that he would not know how to teach and guide young people. Along with other coaches, he plunged into learning, learning lesson plans, improving pedagogical and professional skills. Behind, his wife and two children support also make him more secure in this journey.
"I am happy to continue to be attached to the job. The biggest desire of not only me but also many other teachers is to create new talents to contribute to the national team, even to win medals at the national team. SEA Games, ASIAD," he shared.
In 2022, after more than two years of coaching, Nguyen Vinh Thien reappeared on the 21km track at the MetaSports Marathon Marvelous Nha Trang. It was the first time in a decade that the former athlete had returned to a marathon. Despite not playing for a long time, he still achieved 1 hour 22 minutes, ranked 13 in the final and 5th in the age group. "I try to enjoy the feeling of running on the roads, mixing with the flow of people. It's been a long time since I had the opportunity to see Nha Trang welcome so many athletes," he said.
After VM Nha Trang 2022, Mr. Thien ran three more MetaSports tournaments, including a 42km run reaching 2 hours 58 minutes at VM Hue 2023 and 3 hours 1 minute at VM Quy Nhon 2023. His impression of VM is its scale. huge and a large number of high-performance runners. The 39-year-old athlete believes that running movement tournaments is a way to keep the fire of passion and prove that he is still capable of conquering long distances. He also wants to set an example for his students, encouraging them to practice hard.
The coach of the Provincial Sports Training Center said that the MetaSports Marathon is a special tournament because it helps the running movement in Khanh Hoa become vibrant again. After the tournament, many people were more interested in practicing sports. Coastal roads like Tran Phu - Pham Van Dong are bustling with runners in the morning and evening. The group of athletes Mr. Thien is leading is also positively affected. Realizing the great influence of VM, Mr. Thien collaborated with the famous movement running group, Nha Trang Runners, to provide professional support and technical guidance to hundreds of runners in the province.
MetaSports Marathon Marvelous Nha Trang 2023 will return on August 13 with 11,000 athletes. Not a tournament in the system of the Federation, but Mr. Thien and many students will participate, considering this as a stepping stone, an opportunity to rub and accumulate competition experience for young athletes. The 39-year-old coach and his students prepared for many months with a practice schedule of two mornings and afternoons every day. Mr. Thien does not place much emphasis on achievements, but hopes that the whole group will do their best, leaving an impression on athletes from Khanh Hoa province.
Last year, Nguyen Quoc Dung - a member of the provincial team, won the 42km championship after overcoming strong candidates such as Dan Quyet, Le Tan Hi,... This year, Mr. Thien expects to continue to have athletes. The province has won high achievements, especially when the South Central region has about 3,000 athletes competing and many of these have spent months training seriously. "I hope the award will be a push, bringing athletics and marathon Nha Trang back to its heyday, many raw pearls come to light," he shared.
