An uneducated weightlifter and a university dream

Young weightlifter Thach Kim Tuan was among Vietnam’s most outstanding athletes in the past year. The 20-year-old made his mark on the weightlifting world by winning three gold medals and setting two records in the 56kg weight category at the World Youth Weightlifting Championships in Russia last June, which also earned him the ‘best lifter of the tournament’ title. Tuan went on to excel with another silver medal and two new Asian records at the 17th Asian Games (Asiad) held in the Republic of Korea three months later, before adding one more gold (snatch) and two silvers (clean & jerk, total lift) to his sparkling medal collection at the 2014 IWF World Championships, hosted by the Kazakh city of Almaty two months later.

However, every success was also accompanied by sweats and tears. Tuan had to sacrifice his schooling in exchange for his present status. At the age of 20, the world champion Thach Kim Tuan has yet to graduate from secondary school. He has set a personal target of earning a secondary school diploma and sitting the university entrance examination by 30.

“Years of competition will end up in retirement, but learning is lifelong. I do not want to be called illiterate,” Tuan shared. Tuan’s weightlifting trainer Huynh Huu Chi always stands side by side his favourite student: “Better late than never. It is the best way for Tuan since he is still young. In the future, after quitting his career as an athlete, certain knowledge is required if Tuan wants to become a trainer”.

Uncompleted dream of wushu artist Duong Thuy Vi

Duong Thuy Vi was the most mentioned name at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon last year, winning the sole gold medal for Vietnam, and saving the country from a goldless Asiad. Vi burst into tears while standing on the medal podium, a far different feeling from other crowns; winning an Asiad medal had been Vi’s biggest dream since the start of her martial arts career.

The formerly timid girl has become a source of pride in Vietnamese sports. Thuy Vi has gathered nearly 60 medals of different kinds, notably the gold medals won at the Asian and world youth competitions, the Asian Indoor Games, the world martial arts festival, and the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, and especially the recently-obtained Asiad gold medal.

Conquering the Asiad challenge, Thuy Vi is dreaming of the day wushu becomes an official Olympic sport: “It is pitiful that wushu has yet to be included in the official Olympic competition programme. I hope the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will recognise wushu as its official sport one day. If it happens, Vietnam will have the opportunity to win more medals and I will also have the chance to conquer the most valuable medal in my career. To me, numerous certificates and medals are never enough without the Olympic medal”.

Despite having suffered severe injuries as well as many disadvantages compared to other peers, Vi still affirmed her determination to purse a martial arts career even if given the opportunity to chose again: “Training and competing take up a lot of time, so I do not have much time for my family and friends. It is a disadvantage that professional athletes must accept. But I do not regret choosing the martial arts way of life since it is my passion and I have given my best to it. Actually, my parents and family often advised me to choose another less painful path, but they still respect my decision”.

In addition, Thuy Vi has another dream that she seldom shares with anyone. Few think a little girl with over ten years of practicing martial arts dreams of becoming a pilot. “When I was young, my house was near an airport and I saw airplanes fly overhead everyday. Looking at the planes flying in the vast sky, I wished to be a pilot. That dream remains the same even now, but I know it is very difficult to make it come true,” Vi said. “One should have a dream to strive for in life, and sometimes we will still feel happy even if it remains unfulfilled”.

Taekwondo artist Chau Tuyet Van

The four-time world champion became familiar with taekwondo when she was seven. Up to now, Tuyet Van has successfully conquered the top honour at the world (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014), Asian (2012) and SEA Games (2013) arenas, among which the SEA Games gold medal in Myanmar brought her the most emotions following two consecutive editions of being judged unfairly.

Talented, modest and beautiful, Chau Tuyet Van is not only a pride of Vietnamese taekwondo but also an ideal model for the Vietnamese youth. Despite practicing martial arts from young age, Tuyet Van still has a small body and a pretty face. Although affirming herself just as a normal athlete, Van is still often called the ‘belle of the martial arts circle’ or ‘taekwondo hot girl’. However, it is little known that Tuyet Van usually spends much time thinking about life and the future.

“Regardless of a successful competition career, female athletes including me still have to think about their future family life. In the early days of practicing martial arts, all were worried about their possibility of having a future family, but they are not any more. I do not think all boys like gentle girls. A little strength and personality should be more interesting,” Tuyet Van shared. “I have learned many things after nearly 20 years of pursuing a martial arts career, notably the patience and fortitude to overcome any difficulties,” she added.

Chau Tuyet Van has appeared many times in the newspapers with her young fashionable style, bright face and smart talk; however, the 24-year-old still affirms that she has no intention of entering show business. At present, Tuyet Van is both a taekwondo artist and a student of the Sport Management Faculty at the Ton Duc Thang University.

Successful as Van is, there is a constant worry in her mind about the lives of other taekwondo athletes: “I myself am not so worried about the income issue because of my personal achievements and the financial support from the Ho Chi Minh City Taekwondo Federation, which provides enough for me to care for my family. However, many other taekwondo artists are facing financial difficulties. Most of them have to take up side jobs to earn money for their taekwondo career pursuit. I hope the incentives for athletes will be improved in the future to help them feel assured and continue training, competing and sacrificing,” Van said.