VietNamNet Bridge – Vuong Thi Vy, 16, has won the first world young boxing championship for Vietnam. This result proves that considering boxing among ten key sports for investment is a sound policy of Vietnam.

Vy and her coach

Vy was born in Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province. She is the only one in her family who is an athlete. Once Bac Ninh province’s boxing team came to her village to recruit boxers, Vy and another girl were chosen. At that time Vy was 13 and she did not know about boxing. However, she enthusiastically joined the team because two people in her villager were members of Bac Ninh province’s boxing team.

Practicing boxing for several days, the other girl quit because she could not sustain hard exercises. Vy managed to leave the team but her family advised her to continue. Vy stayed with her team.

After a short time of training, Vy realized that boxing is not dangerous because boxers are equipped with protective devices and boxers are allowed to punch at permitted parts of body. She gradually liked the sports and did not dodge blows.

Success came to this little girl early. She won the championship of the national young boxing tournament at the age of 15, and was summoned to the national young boxing team early this year.

After four months of practicing with the team, Vy made great progress. Coach Nguyen Thuy Huong said that this girl learned very quickly, and she never missed her targets. In four months, Vy only practiced straight blows. She recently won the championship of the Women’s Young Boxing Championship thanks to a straight blow technique.

At the world youth boxing championship in 2011, Vy had to reduce her weight by 4 kilos. During the ten-day drilling before the tournament and during the competition, Vy was always tired and hungry because she was not allowed to eat freely. She was also homesick because this was her first overseas trip.

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) ranks Vietnam among eight countries with a developing women’s boxing movement, so Vietnamese female boxers were trained by AIBA’s experts before the AIBA’s Women’s Young Boxing Championship. After three days, Vietnamese coach Nguyen Thuy Huong, from an observer, became a coach to train 21 female boxers with AIBA’s experts.

At that time, AIBA and the organizing board of the AIBA Women’s Young Boxing Championship did not think that Vietnam could win the championship several days later. The Vietnamese team only hoped to take a bronze medal.

Participating in the tournament, Vy was very nervous because this was her first international competition. However, when the game began, she was no longer nervous. She only focused on the game.

After the first win against a boxer from Ukraine, Vy was very excited to win the two other games to enter the finale. In the final game, Vy faced an Indian boxer. Vy lost in the first round but she won in the second round. The referee decided that Vy was the winner because she was very active and always attacked first.

PV