Meet the excellent female boxer who promises to 'lay golden eggs' for Nghe An sports

Athlete Ha Thi Le (blue shirt) excellently won the Gold Medal at the 2017 National Youth Boxing Championship. Photo: PV

Thai girl's dream of escaping poverty

Ha Thi Le was born in the poor countryside of Tan Ky. Where people mainly work in farming. The ethnic girlThai ethnic group- Ha Thi Le went to school one day and came home one day to help her parents with farming. She did not have enough food and clothing, but Le had a pretty good appearance. So during a recruitment at Nghia Thai Secondary School - Tan Ky, Coach Bui Duy Tuan -Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Centerdiscovered Le's potential and convinced him to join the center's martial arts.

“I learned about Le through his physical education teacher and learned that he was talented in sports, along with having a good appearance, so with the intuition of a sports person, I recognized his potential as a professional athlete,” Mr. Tuan recalled.

According to Mr. Tuan: “Le has a very good physical foundation and constitution and is suitable for Boxing - a sport that requires a lot of health. And in selecting athletes, we always give priority to choosing children from difficult circumstances, children of ethnic minorities so that they can later have jobs to help their families escape poverty.”

Le was very surprised to be chosen to become an athlete in this sport.Boxing. Because I have never known about this sport before, I have no idea whether it is difficult or easy. "Before, I only knew about Karate through books and newspapers, but I never knew what Boxing was. So I was very worried, not knowing if I was suitable to practice this sport or not," Le recalled.

But because of his difficult circumstances, Le decided to go to the city to find brighter opportunities for his future. “I couldn’t sleep for many nights because I was nervous and worried. But thinking about the future where I would have to work hard all my life like my parents, brothers and sisters are going through, I was determined to become a professional athlete,” Le said.

The first days of training at the center were difficult for Ha Thi Le. Everything was new, no relatives around, no friends, many times homesickness seemed to be something Le could not overcome. Le recalled: “I cried for a whole week, everything seemed strange, missing my family like crazy. One night I called my mother countless times, but then she encouraged and comforted me, making me calm down, and gradually I was able to adapt.”

The first exercises are also challenges that any athlete who wants to succeed must overcome. For Le, those exercises are not simple. Practicing stance or running long distances makes her body weak, sore, tired, and sometimes she doesn't want to eat. But her difficult background did not make Le falter. By practicing diligently and persistently, Le has gradually shaped her strengths and advantages. Her punches are fast, powerful, and her quick reflexes are highly appreciated by the teachers in the martial arts class.

In addition, in each training session to improve her skills, the Thai girl often trains with male athletes. Because when training with male friends, Le can practice her ability to withstand blows better, and her punches must also be more precise and powerful. Because of her hard work, Le is considered by the coaches to be the athlete with the fastest progress ever.

Athletes promise to "lay golden eggs" for Nghe An sports

Athlete Ha Thi Le and the Nghe An Kickboxing team compete at the 2020 National Kickboxing Championship. Photo: PV

After a year of hard training at the Boxing - Kick Boxing class, Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center, in 2017, Le was trusted by the coaches to compete in the National Youth Boxing Tournament. The goal that the coaches set for Le was mainly just to gain experience. However, when entering the tournament, Ha Thi Le made a surprise. She successively surpassed the strong athletes to advance straight to the finals.

Before the final match of the tournament, Le was encouraged by coach Bui Duy Tuan: "You have done things beyond my expectations. In this final match, you don't have to be too nervous. Play your best, show off what you have trained for, your strengths." Entering the final match, Le did not know that he would have to face a strong opponent - a national player, so after being encouraged by the coach, he was completely comfortable to compete.

With his long arms, Le continuously struck consecutively with both hands, causing his opponent to continuously lose points. Le won convincingly in that final match. “This is probably the most memorable tournament in my athlete career. Because it was my first Gold Medal, it will motivate me to confidently move forward in the future”: Le said.

Le recalls: “After winning this Gold Medal, I was extremely happy. And the first person I wanted to share it with was my mother. When she heard my phone call, she was very happy and hoped that I would continue to try to always be the pride of the family.”

After that gold medal, Ha Thi Le has continued to develop. She has become an important athlete in the martial arts department at the center. Not only focusing on Boxing, Le also diligently trained to be able to play well in other disciplines such as Kickboxing and traditional martial arts. In the following years from 2017 to 2020, Ha Thi Le won Silver and Bronze medals for Nghe An sports. Especially in 2021, the Thai girl excellently won the Gold Medal at the National Kickboxing Championship.

At the age of 19, still very young, but Ha Thi Le has shown herself to be a potential athlete of the province's sports. She has won important medals in martial arts.

Coach Bui Duy Tuan added: “Ha Thi Le is an athlete who has made very rapid progress. After only a short training period, she has achieved results beyond expectations. If she trains hard and systematically, Le will be an athlete who “lays golden eggs” for Nghe An sports. Le will go far and continue to write her dream of a bright future”./.