Coach Vu Ngoc Loi (right) and his runner Nguyen Thi Huyen celebrate their SEA Games win last December in the Philippines. Photo webthethao.vn

Last year was surely one of the best for the 59-year-old after his runners succeeded at the Southeast Asian Games and received numerous Asian titles.

At the Philippines Games last December, his athletes won the men’s and women’s 4x400m titles after the 400m mixed relay team triumphed and set a record at the biennial Games.
Nguyen Thi Huyen secured a double in the women’s 400m and 400m hurdle and Dinh Thi Bich topped the women’s 800m, all in their Games debut.

Earlier, rising star Quach Thi Lan shone to win a gold in the women’s 400m hurdles at the Asian championship in April. She continued her success winning two golds in the 400m and 400m hurdles at the Asian Grand Prix in June.

Born in 1960 in Nam Dinh Province, Loi kept his eyes on athletics when he won a gold in a national school games at the age of 15.

In 1980, when Loi was a second-year student of the University of Physical Education and Sports in Bac Ninh Province he earned his chance to study at the National University of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine which offered him great knowledge and experience for his future career.

However, it was not easy to apply what Loi had learned from abroad when he was back in Vietnam because of the difference of infrastructure and athletes’ form and physique between two countries.

But he still made his mark in all the local teams where he worked with such as the Military, Thua Thien-Hue and Nam Dinh and the national team with his typical and special exercises which could help his athletes complete their training with the best results possible.

The trainer, who faced death after 10 surgeries since 2001 to 2003 due to an infection after a gallbladder cut, started to harvest good ‘feedback’ from his athletes in international competitions since 2015.

It was the 28th SEA Games in Singapore where his runner Duong Van Thai won two golds in the men’s 800m and 1500m before Nguyen Thi Huyen made it hat-trick of golds in the women’s 400m, 400m hurdle and 4x400m together with two Games’ records. Huyen also secured two slots to take part in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

In 2017, Huyen secured one gold and one silver in the Asian championships. She then won three golds at the 29th Games while teammate Tran Thi Yen Hoa won twice in the 100m hurdles and 4x100m.

At the same time, Lợi made potential athlete Quach Thi Lan a new star after she grabbed two national championship golds in the 400m (55.74sec) and 400m hurdles (55.30sec), setting two national records. She became the first Vietnamese female runner to beat the 56 second mark in the hurdles.

She later won two golds at the Taipei Open before coming second in the 2018 Asian Games’ 400m hurdles. But months later, Lan was presented the gold after the winner Kemi Adekoya of Bahrain was tested positive for drugs.

This has been the first Asian Games’ title of Vietnam’s athletics so far.

“He is a strict coach but really cares about his athletes. After training, he is like a father to us,” Huyen said about her coach during their time together in Nam Dinh.

“He is a strong force that we all looked upon to strive harder in both practicing and competing.”

Huyen who is training with Loi for the chance at the Olympics this year, believed that her coach was worthy to be classed as one of the best after his great contribution for sport and athletics.
“I believe that success comes from passion. If you are in love with something you will dedicate everything to it. When you do your best, you world receive sweet results,” said Loi.

“I have experienced ups and downs in my career but presently I do find happiness with my choice. My fellow athletes have done well in international competitions. We have the chance to compete in elite events such as the Asian Games and Olympics and also receive people’s recognition.

“These are great goals for me to work happily and strive for more glory.” VNS

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