Nghe An sports 'golden' seed: 'Once collapsed due to injury and wanted to give up everything'

(Baonghean.vn) - Although he suffered such a serious injury that he had to give up his path to becoming a professional volleyball coach, with his determination, Hoang Van Phi (1994) still contributed significantly to helping the Nghe An volleyball team win the Gold Cup at the sports exchange between Nghe An and Xieng Khouang (Laos) provinces in early June.

Hoang Van Phi said that until now, he still feels very happy when remembering the moment he and his team stepped up to the podium to receive the Gold Cup at the sports exchange tournament to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the establishment of friendship between Vietnam and Laos.

It is known that Phi is one of the representatives invited by the Nghe An Department of Culture and Sports to compete with the team. Playing as the main striker, Hoang Van Phi contributed significantly to helping the Nghe An volleyball team win the Gold Cup.

Hoang Van Phi (right) and his teammates took a souvenir photo when receiving the Gold Cup at the sports exchange between Nghe An and Xieng Khouang provinces (Laos). Photo: NVCC

Coming to and being passionate about volleyball for the boy born in 1994 was a coincidence. Phi recalls that when he was a child, Phi often followed his brother to the volleyball court in Dien My commune, Dien Chau district to practice. Seeing the serves, smooth coordination, and the spirit of competition of everyone on the court made Phi love volleyball without realizing it. The more he learned about volleyball, the more passionate Hoang Van Phi became and wanted to follow the path of an athlete and then become a professional volleyball coach.

After months of practicing on the volleyball court of the village and commune, the opportunity came to Hoang Phi when he passed the entrance exam to Bac Ninh University of Physical Education and Sports, majoring in volleyball. However, due to difficult circumstances, Phi once intended to temporarily put aside his dream of becoming a professional volleyball coach to sign a contract to become an athlete of Military Region 4.

Phi shared that it was his parents who advised him to pursue his passion. Phi still remembers clearly what his father said at that time: "Even though we are poor, we can still raise you to follow your passion."

Looking at Hoang Van Phi's achievements, many people cannot help but feel admiration for his many high achievements. Of course, behind those successes, there are sweat and tears.

In 2014, when he was a third-year student, Phi suffered a serious back injury due to overtraining. He was hospitalized for 2 months and what Phi feared most happened. When the doctor informed him that his back injury would hinder his path to becoming a professional coach, Phi almost collapsed and wanted to give up everything. "That was the most difficult time I had to go through" - Phi confided. But luckily, Phi always had family and friends by his side to encourage him.

Currently, Hoang Phi is working as a swimming coach. Photo: NVCC

A close friend advised: “Success does not come to those who give up easily”, this saying once again awakened Hoang Phi’s determination and at the same time became his motto in life. With relentless efforts, after 6 months of treatment, Hoang Phi was once again able to hold a ball and play.

Currently, Hoang Phi works as a swimming coach, a sport that has helped him a lot in his recovery process after his injury. Phi said: “Although I cannot become a professional coach, I still play volleyball with all my passion. Moreover, on weekends when I go back to my hometown, I still teach the children around me to play volleyball. From a certain perspective, teaching children is also the job of a coach that I have wanted to do since I was a child.”

Chu Thanh