The miracle of the 'Yết Kiêu' guy from Nghe An

The Will of a Young Athlete

Born in 2003, in Hung Loi commune (Hung Nguyen), in 2015, when he was only 12 years old, thanks to his good physique and agility, Nguyen Trong Dung was selected to join theNghe An Sports Training and Competition Centerin diving

After nearly a year of swimming training, Nguyen Trong Dung was transferred to diving. “This period was very difficult because I knew nothing about diving, so learning diving techniques in general was very difficult. The teacher had to patiently teach me every little thing so that I could understand. After finishing the technique, the advanced training period was more difficult, because there was a lack of equipment, had to be repaired, patched together to practice, or only when the senior team members finished practicing did they have fins to practice with,” Dung recalled.

Nguyen Trong Dung, on behalf of the athletes, read the oath at the ceremony to send off the Nghe An sports delegation to attend the 9th National Sports Festival in 2022. Photo: Minh Quan.

To become a professional diver, Nguyen Trong Dung has shown great will and determination. Compared to swimming, diving is much more difficult, because it takes a lot of energy because you have to carry a lot of equipment such as air tanks and fins. In addition, because you have to move your lower body a lot, parts such as the back, hips, and thighs are always overloaded and painful.

When I first started practicing, I had muscle and leg pain every day and after practice sessions I felt like I couldn’t walk. The most common problem during both practice and competition was cramps, which led to loss of concentration on breathing and difficulty breathing. However, I never thought I would stop to pursue another sport, because I considered it my career.

Nguyen Trong Dung - diving athlete (Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center).

According to coach Ho Phi Luoc of Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center, in diving, Nguyen Trong Dung has outstanding qualities compared to his teammates of the same age such as height, flexibility, and agility. Besides, Dung also shows diligence, perseverance and great will.

Nguyen Trong Dung (left) with coach Ho Phi Luoc (Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center). Photo: NVCC

On the other hand, due to the nature of diving, I often wear goggles and practice a lot in the summer, so my face is tanned, but the part covered by the goggles is white. Therefore, every time I return to my hometown, my friends give me the nickname "panda".

Historic Gold Medal

After 2 years of training at Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center, Nguyen Trong Dung was able to test his strength in his first tournament, the 2017 National Swimming and Diving Club Championship. In that tournament, although only 14 years old, Nguyen Trong Dung won 1 Gold Medal and 3 Bronze Medals.

From 2018 to present, at domestic tournaments, Nguyen Trong Dung has always won medals, including 8 Gold Medals.

Notably, in early September 2022, at the 2022 World Cup Diving Championship, Nguyen Trong Dung won 2 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal, making history for Nghe An sports by becoming the first Nghe An athlete in diving to win a World Gold Medal.

Nguyen Trong Dung (middle) won the individual gold medal at the 2022 World Cup Diving Championship. Photo: NVCC

Talking about this tournament, Nguyen Trong Dung said: “In the team, I am the only member who has never competed internationally, so the teachers and coaches did not set a goal for me to win a medal, they only hoped that I could get a Bronze Medal. But for an international tournament, for the sake of the country's flag, my team and I have worked very hard to prepare for the tournament with 7-9 hours underwater, diving distances of up to 9-10 thousand meters each day.

When I arrived in Thailand to participate in the tournament and met the foreign athletes, I felt nervous because they were very tall and strong. However, those were just the initial feelings. Once I got into the water to compete, those feelings quickly disappeared. I only thought about how to compete well and bring glory to the Fatherland. But after winning a Gold Medal in the 200m Water Jet, a Silver Medal in the 400m Water Jet and a Gold Medal in the 4 x 100 Water Jet Relay, I was surprised by the results myself."

Nguyen Trong Dung (4th from left) won the gold medal in the relay event at the 2022 Diving World Cup. Photo: NVCC

In addition to making history as the first athlete to win a World Gold Medal in diving, Nguyen Trong Dung is also one of the youngest athletes in Nghe An swimming and diving when he won this title at the age of 14.

During this time, Nghe An's high-performance sports teams have been urgently training to prepare for the 9th National Sports Congress and Nguyen Trong Dung is one of the athletes expected to bring home a Gold Medal for the provincial sports delegation. In addition, Nguyen Trong Dung said that he will try his best to be able to participate in the Vietnamese swimming and diving team competing in the 32nd SEA Games in 2023.

“Compared to swimming, diving is quite quiet and has not received much attention. Therefore, I hope that in the future, diving will receive more investment in training equipment as well as create training and competition conditions to improve skills and qualifications, thereby achieving even better results,” Nguyen Trong Dung confided.

In the future, if I no longer compete, I hope to become a coach to disseminate swimming, diving, and drowning prevention skills to children as well as teach techniques and experience to young athletes so that they can compete well in domestic and international tournaments.

Nguyen Trong Dung - diving athlete (Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center).