The "golden" girl of Pencak Silat Nghe An

(Baonghean) - Athlete Phan Thi Huyen (born in 1993) is holding a rather outstanding personal record at Nghe An Sports Center with 3 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 5 bronze medals in the tournaments she participated in. In 2014, Huyen was the only athlete of Nghe An Pencak Silat team to be called up to the National team to prepare for the 2014 World Championship in the 70-75kg weight class.

Huyen's fate with Pencak Silat was also coincidental. While studying at Xuan Hong Secondary School (Nghi Xuan, Ha Tinh), Huyen was highly appreciated by teachers and friends in physical education with her innate talent and ideal body shape. Recognizing her student's qualities, Huyen's physical education teacher personally took her to Nghe An Sports Center to audition for volleyball. However, after just over a month of practicing volleyball at the center, Huyen met Coach Hung Cuong, and this coach "pulled" Huyen to the subject he was in charge of, Pencak Silat. Initially, Huyen's parents did not support this wish because they were worried that their youngest daughter would encounter many difficulties and neglect her studies at school. But in the end, with her determination and passion, and the support and encouragement of the coach at the center, Huyen was able to convince her parents to let her join Pencak Silat.

Phan Thi Huyen during a "weight loss" training session at the Nghe An Pencak Silat team.

In the early days of getting acquainted with Pencak Silat, Huyen was confused. But after only 2 years of training with the coaching duo Hung Cuong - Trinh Mui, Huyen was called to join the national Pencak Silat youth team. In 2011, the first time she competed on the mat at the National Youth Pencak Silat Championship, Huyen won a Silver Medal in the 60kg category. In 2013, Huyen's career took a new step forward when she achieved the "master" standard in Pencak Silat and was called up to the national team. And in the same year, Huyen defeated an athlete from Tien Giang with a score of 5-0 in the final match of the National Pencak Silat Championship. With her outstanding achievements, Huyen is considered the "golden" girl of Nghe An sports.

From the provincial sports movement, Huyen continuously participated in national tournaments and won the highest awards in the country in the participating sport. The reward for her training and competition achievements was a "place" to study at the Central University of Sports in Bac Ninh. Referring to this, coach Trinh Thi Mui said: "Athletes with high achievements are all given favorable conditions for studying. Huyen has done well in training when she has arranged a schedule to both practice and attend classes. Currently, Huyen is a second-year student."

Practicing sports is difficult, but it is even more difficult for girls pursuing a career in martial arts. Because this fighting sport will inevitably cause injuries during training and competition. Huyen also knew that, but because of her passion, she overcame everything. “When talking about girls learning martial arts, many people think it must be something terrible. But in fact, it is not. Since pursuing this career, I find myself thinking more maturely than before. Learning martial arts also means learning morality. In my personal opinion, girls who learn martial arts have their own hidden charm, which is to be tougher and stronger.”

The sport idol that influenced Huyen is Coach Trinh Thi Mui. Because in addition to training, Huyen also feels the care and love of an older sister in Coach Trinh Thi Mui. In the most difficult times when she needs to confide, Huyen seeks out Coach Trinh Mui to share. When we asked about her future orientation, Huyen shyly said: "Now I try to practice well to compete for high results, but of course I will not forget my study duties. In the future, Huyen also hopes to become a Pencat Silat Coach like Coach Trinh Thi Mui".

Having been in the martial arts profession for only 6 years, not a long time but long enough for Huyen to feel that the road to success is not paved with roses but is the result of her own hard training. Every year, Huyen's achievements are further enhanced by medals in domestic and regional tournaments. In 2014, during this national team training session, Huyen was planned by the coaching board to train and compete in the 70-75kg weight class. This is a weight class with many athletes called up for the selection of the team to attend the upcoming World Championship. Therefore, Huyen shared: "I will try to train well to win a position in the national team to attend the upcoming tournament. It is very difficult but I will definitely not back down."

Article and photos:Ngoc Minh