VietNamNet Bridge – Australian coach Joseph Donnelly is considered a “Buddha” by the Vietnamese women’s rowing team: he has trained the team for no money and has helped it thrive in regional and world tournaments.

The world’s stage: Joseph Donnelly (centre) seen At Rio Olympics opening ceremony. — Photo courtesy of Joseph Donnelly

Donnelly, a former Australian national team coxswain and club rowing coach, started work with the Viet Nam team in 2010 at his own expense, and he soon led them to the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. The team came away with two silver medals – the first rowing medals for Viet Nam at the Asian Games. Since then, Viet Nam have ridden a wave of success in international tournaments.

Donnelly, who represented Australia at world championships in 1974 and 1975, came to coach Viet Nam team by chance.

“I was on holidays in Ha Noi in 2009 when I saw a sign saying ’rowing club’. When I returned to Australia, I spoke with a friend who put me in touch with Nguyen Van Thang from the Ha Noi rowing club,” Donnelly told the Viet Nam News.

“I met with Thang and two other people at the Tay Ho hotel, and they asked me to come out in the speed boat the next day to see the crews. I watched for the next three days and assisted Pham Thi Ngoc Lan in coaching,” said Donnelly.

With this relationship established, Donnelly has led Viet Nam team through many intensive training trips to Australia. He even recruited his friends’ help to give the Viet Nam team a US$20,000 boat.

“Donnelly is a whole-hearted expert, and he’s full of love for Viet Nam and its people. His feelings and works make us feel moved and respected,” said Nguyen Hai Duong, head of rowing at the National Sports Administration.

Pham Thi Thao, who competed in 2012 Summer Olympics and won two gold medals at the SEA Games in 2015 in Singapore, regards him as her father. She said besides his professional knowledge, Donnelly is very close with the team on personal levels.

Donnelly coaches the team in both in Ha Noi’s West Lake and in the northern port city of Hai Phong. Rainy as well as hot days, the coach and his team wake up at 6am to start their training. At 3pm, they train again either on the water, in the gym or on the rowing machines.

Self-made man: Joseph Donnelly started working with Viet Nam team in 2010. — Photo vcmedia.vn

After six years, the Australian coach’s efforts have led Viet Nam to second in the Southeast Asian region. But when he looks at his team, Donnelly thinks beyond the region; his rowers remind him of rowers from home.

“I just love coaching Vietnamese rowers, because they now think and train the same as the rowers in Australia. The thing I enjoy the most is the friendships that I have developed with Vietnamese sports officials and rowers. Those friendships have enabled us to build a strong team despite the many difficulties we face, such as funding and the lack of equipment and protein for the rowers,” said Donnelly.

Donnelly is currently in Australia, but he will return to Ha Noi on Saturday to start training for 2017 with a new team, as a number of the rowers stopped rowing after the Olympics.

“I hope that the new team will have athletes with the same potential as we have had for the past six years so that we can again qualify for the Olympics in Tokyo, just as did in London and Rio,” said Donnelly.

VNS

Thanh Nga