Le Cong Tai - the inspiration for Nghe An shuttlecock
With nearly 20 years of dedication to shuttlecock playing, with intense passion, strong will and perseverance, Le Cong Tai has become an icon in Nghe An's high-performance sports scene, inspiring many generations of young athletes.
Rare achievement
We met Le Cong Tai at the Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center. His sharp kicks, skillful hooks and especially his lightning-like sweeping kicks made not only us but also his young teammates admire him.
Le Cong Tai was born in 1993, in Hung Dung, Vinh city, in a simple working-class family. From a young age, Tai showed a special passion for shuttlecock. After school, Tai and his friends would play shuttlecock matches, and his talent was quickly recognized by everyone.
In 2005, Le Cong Tai was selected to participate in the Phu Dong Sports Festival at the provincial level. In the same year, the shuttlecock kicking department of Nghe An Sports Training and Coaching Center was officially established, and coach Ton Quy Hoa, who has a keen eye, discovered this "rough gem". With the support of his family, in October 2005, Tai officially entered the path of professional sports.
After less than half a year of training, Le Cong Tai had the opportunity to test himself in a big playground - the 2006 National Youth Sepak Takraw Championship but did not win a medal. It was not until 2009, after months of hard training, that he reaped his first achievement: a Silver Medal at the National Youth Sepak Takraw Championship.
2012 marked a major turning point in his career when Le Cong Tai competed for the first time at the National Sepak Takraw Championship in Dong Thap province. With excellent performance, he defeated all opponents, winning the prestigious Gold Medal in the men's singles. This was the beginning of his 13-year success streak in the Vietnamese Sepak Takraw village. From 2012 to now, he has won 7 Gold Medals at the National Sepak Takraw Championship and 3 times at the National Sports Festival in 2014, 2018 and 2022, affirming his position in the Vietnamese Sepak Takraw village.
Entering the international arena, in 2013, Le Cong Tai was called up to the national team to participate in the World Sepak Takraw Championship. And he went straight to the final after overcoming 5 opponents. But against Du Thien - a top athlete from China, despite his best efforts, Tai still had to accept defeat and won the Silver Medal. However, this was still a historic achievement, bringing his name to new heights and becoming the pride of Nghe An sports.
In 2024, at the age of 31, Le Cong Tai continued to make his mark when he won another Gold Medal in the men's 3-piece event at the Asian Sepak Takraw Championship held in Thua Thien - Hue. This is a rare achievement, proving the class of a persistent, tenacious athlete who always aspires to conquer the top.
Passion and perseverance
Le Cong Tai shared that the tournament he remembers most is the 2013 National Sepak Takraw Championship held in Da Nang city. As the reigning champion in the men's singles, Le Cong Tai entered a dramatic final match with his opponent Nguyen Van Dat from Dong Thap province - the locality with the strongest Sepak Takraw movement at that time. After ending two sets with a draw, entering the decisive third set (15 points), Tai unexpectedly let his opponent take the lead with a score of 14 - 9.
It seemed like the championship had slipped away from the Nghe An man, but with his strong will and iron will to fight, Tai made a spectacular breakthrough, scoring 7 consecutive points. The emotional score of 16-14 helped him successfully defend the throne, bringing joy to the coaching staff, teammates and the audience who loved him.
Strong will and perseverance have become the foundation that helps Le Cong Tai overcome countless difficulties in nearly 20 years of playing shuttlecock. Despite many injuries such as ankle sprains, hamstring strains or tears..., Tai always recovers quickly. Notably, in October 2022, while participating in the National Team Shuttlecock Championship in Bac Giang province, he suffered a quite serious injury - a torn hamstring. But after less than a month and a half, when the 9th National Sports Congress took place, Le Cong Tai still confidently entered the match and excellently won the prestigious Gold Medal in the men's singles event.
“Most people, including many of my teammates, didn't believe I could recover in time to participate.National Sports Congress. In fact, when entering the tournament, my injury had not yet completely healed. But with a burning determination and desire to bring glory to the province's sports, I endured the pain and competed and finally achieved what I wanted," Le Cong Tai emotionally shared.
In 2015, at the age of 22, Le Cong Tai got married. His wife is a freelancer, and in addition to playing shuttlecock, he and his wife also manage a clothing store in Ben Thuy ward, Vinh city. Currently, he and his wife have two children, a 10-year-old and a 2-year-old. Le Cong Tai confided that he did not attend the University of Physical Education and Sports because he wanted to devote all his time to training, competing, and supporting the family business.
Having been involved in shuttlecock kicking for nearly two decades, Le Cong Tai is currently the oldest athlete in the shuttlecock kicking sport at Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center. Tai shared that he has not thought about retiring yet, because he still feels capable of competing and contributing to high achievements for his hometown sports. In daily training sessions, he is not only a teammate but also a shining example, passing on his passion and extensive competition experience to promising young athletes such as: Le Anh Duc, Nguyen Viet Hoang, Le Sy Khanh...
After I stop competing, I will move into the business field. But for sure, even if I do not become a coach, I will always accompany and contribute to the development of the shuttlecock sport in my province, supporting young athletes to the best of my ability.
Sepak Takraw player Le Cong Tai
