Sport

Le Sy Khanh - The golden hope of Nghe An shuttlecock

Thanh Chung • July 6, 2025 11:57

At only 19 years old, athlete Le Sy Khanh has won 4 national gold medals and many other impressive achievements. From a student who loved shuttlecock, Khanh has become the golden hope of Nghe An sports, a journey written with sweat, tears and persistent passion.

Tears... pursuing passion

Every afternoon, at Nghe An Provincial Sports Stadium, the teamshuttlecock kickingwake up and practice diligently. Athletes of all ages enthusiastically perform specialized exercises: fast, precise and tricky shots; quick and timely blocking and receiving reflexes; handling situations of hitting far from the net, performing high jump shots with optimal efficiency. The practice session is serious but not lacking in laughter, cheering and team spirit.

1(2).jpg — Athlete Le Sy Khanh practices with athlete Le Anh Duc. Photo: Thanh Chung

In that team, Le Sy Khanh (19 years old) is one of the promising faces, expected to bring home many Gold Medals for the province's sports.

On the training ground, Khanh is always persistent and focused on training. Each movement exudes proficiency, strength and determination. Although he has only been on the provincial team for 4 years, Khanh has already brought home 4 Gold Medals at national championships.

Khanh came to the professional sports path later than his teammates. Since childhood, the student in Do Luong commune loved shuttlecock, always carrying the shuttlecock in his school bag, taking advantage of every break time to play with his friends. Thanks to his skillful skills, in grade 8, Khanh won first prize at the Phu Dong District Sports Festival in 2020. From then on, Khanh was discovered by coaches of Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center and invited to join the provincial team.

Receiving the admission notice, Khanh was very happy, but his parents were worried, worried that their young child would be away from home, in a harsh new environment, prone to injury, which could affect his studies. After a long time of persuasion, Khanh's family agreed to let him pursue his passion, with the promise to study well and practice seriously.

Athlete Le Sy Khanh always trains hard and is making good progress. Photo: Thanh Chung

Entering the new environment, Khanh shed tears many times. The house was far away, he could only come home every two weeks, his parents were busy and could not visit often, he had few friends, his technique was limited, he had to ensure his cultural studies, high intensity training, and inevitable injuries.

“
The first three months of stretching and doing leg splits to increase flexibility, I was in so much pain that I cried. The intense training sessions made my body weak, I couldn’t swallow food, and I thought about giving up. But thanks to the encouragement of my teachers, I told myself to persevere in pursuing my dream.
Athlete Le Sy Khanh

Thanks to his passion and determination, Khanh overcame the difficult period, gradually got into the rhythm of the training program, and his skills improved significantly. The exercises of screwing the ball and jumping high to attack the net that used to make Khanh nervous have now become proficient movements.

Dream of conquering the top

3(1).jpg — Athlete Le Sy Khanh (far left) and athlete Le Anh Duc are the two golden faces of Nghe An shuttlecock. Photo: Thanh Chung

In 2022, after a year of training, Khanh participated in the National Beach Sepak Takraw Championship in doubles and triples and won her first Silver Medal. This medal further motivated her to strive for higher goals.

From 2022 to present, Khanh has been an official member of the Nghe An sepak takraw team participating in national championships, national youth tournaments, winning 4 national gold medals and many silver and bronze medals. The most recent gold medal this athlete won was at the 2024 National Beach Sepak Takraw Championship.

“
What I have achieved is still very small. In the team, seniors like Le Cong Tai (10 national gold medals, Asian gold medals, world silver medals), and Le Anh Duc (many national, Asian and world championship winners) are great examples for me to learn from. To achieve achievements like them, I have to work many times harder, practice hard, and improve my competitive spirit. My immediate goal is to win the Gold Medal at the 2025 National Youth Championship, be called up to the national team and win glory in international arenas."
Athlete Le Sy Khanh

4(1).jpg — Two athletes Le Sy Khanh (far left) and Le Anh Duc are instructed on competition tactics by the coach. Photo: Thanh Chung

Coach Ho Thi Minh Thuan (Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center) commented: “Khanh has self-awareness, trains hard, improves quickly, has good tactical thinking, coordinates well with teammates and has a strong competitive mentality. Khanh is still very young, if he maintains his form, he can absolutely join the national team, participate in continental and world tournaments.”

Shuttlecock is a sport with a long career, athletes can compete until 35-36 years old like athlete Le Cong Tai. Therefore, Khanh still has a lot of time to contribute to the sports of his province and Vietnam.

The valuable thing is that after practice, Khanh often guides and shares skills with younger athletes in the team, helping them persevere and strive to achieve their goals. Khanh plans to apply to study Physical Education at Vinh University to become a physical education teacher in the future, continuing to inspire the passion for sports in the younger generation.