Meet the "Number One" girl of young athletics in Nghe An.
(Baonghean.vn) -Having just returned from the 2013 National Youth Athletics Championships, 17-year-old Luong Thi Nhat was one of two outstanding athletes who won a gold medal for the Nghe An athletics team in the women's 3000m race walk.
In the Nghe An athletics team, the young girl from Que Phong is called "Nhat" not only because of her name, Luong Thi Nhat, but also because she has won the most awards for the Nghe An team at national youth athletics competitions. In terms of overall achievements at the youth level, Luong Thi Nhat is also outstanding. At the national youth championships for three consecutive years from 2011 to 2013, Nhat dominated the 3000m race walk with three gold medals. She was also selected for the national team to compete in the 2012 Southeast Asian School Games in Indonesia, where she brought home two silver medals in the middle-distance race walk.
Luong Thi Nhat with the gold medal she just won at the 2013 National Youth Championships.
Meeting Luong Thi Nhat at the Nghe An Sports Training Center, few would guess that this gentle girl, born in 1996, possesses a strong willpower rarely seen in young athletes. Born in Tien Phong commune, Que Phong district, Luong Thi Nhat showed early talent in athletics when she participated in and won a silver medal in the 500m race at the 2008 Provincial Phu Dong Sports Festival for junior high school students. Afterward, Nhat was called to the Provincial Sports Training Center and has trained with the athletics team from 2010 to the present. Upon joining the team, recognizing her suitable qualities, the coaches transferred Nhat to train in middle-distance walking. With good physical fitness, Luong Thi Nhat has proven herself a potential athlete by tirelessly and persistently training despite being far from family and friends, while balancing training with her schoolwork.
Nhat confided: “I moved to Vinh City to start training with the athletics team in 2010. Initially, being away from home, I missed my family a lot, but my parents encouraged me, and that gave me more strength to continue training. For the past three years, whenever I miss home, I… put on my shoes and practice walking.” Training is Nhat's way of forgetting her homesickness and also a way for her to further improve her personal skills and techniques, which she has learned from her coaches.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Bang, head coach of the athletics department at the Provincial Sports Training Center: “Luong Thi Nhat is one of the athletes with good physical fitness and, most importantly, a very strong will to train. Nhat is one of the outstanding young athletes who has brought many achievements to the Nghe An youth athletics team.”
It is known that Luong Thi Nhat also recently received good news after winning the gold medal at the 2013 National Youth Athletics Championships: a call-up to the national youth athletics team to prepare for the Southeast Asian Youth Athletics Championships, which will take place in Ho Chi Minh City in June. We wish the young athlete "Nhat" from Nghe An province great success in the upcoming important competition!
Thai Anh
