Vo Xuan Hai, the new hope of Boxing

(Baonghean) - Boxing is one of the five Olympic sports, so the plan to train athletes to reach Olympic level is of great interest. To achieve that goal, it is necessary to select excellent athletes. And the young athlete Vo Xuan Hai is expected to be recruited to the Central Sports Training Center 3 in Da Nang after only 2 years of getting acquainted with Boxing.

Vo Xuan Hai (front row, second from left) with coach Bui Duy Vinh and the Nghe An Boxing team.

In early July 2014, the athlete born in 2000 - Vo Xuan Hai was called up to the national youth boxing team. It is worth mentioning that Hai had just become familiar with martial arts after less than 2 years of training at Nghe An Sports Center. However, with his intelligent fighting style, he soon revealed his outstanding qualities in the harsh sport of boxing, Hai was highly appreciated by experts and was a key athlete to be trained to reach Olympic standards.

After 2 years of training in the Nghe An Boxing team, Hai won the National Boxing Championship for Youth for 2 consecutive years. Mr. Bui Duy Vinh, Head Coach of Nghe An Boxing, said: “From the beginning, I realized that Hai had outstanding qualities compared to other athletes. Although Hai is small and light compared to his age, he possesses an intelligent fighting style, moves to counterattack and score points, and is especially very mature on the mat that few athletes have. Right from the first season, when competing in the youth tournament, Hai won the Gold Medal and was highly appreciated by experts to be selected for the national youth team. Therefore, it is worthy that he is on the list of athletes receiving special care to meet Olympic standards.”

Vo Xuan Hai is the youngest of four siblings, and his family circumstances are very difficult. Hai's older brother is boxer Vo Xuan Thanh with many achievements. Hai's passion for martial arts comes from his older brother. During the times he followed his brother to compete in domestic tournaments, witnessing the exciting and tense matches, the joy and glory of winning medals gave rise to Hai's dream of becoming a professional boxer. And with his parents' support, Hai applied to the traditional martial arts and boxing department at Nghe An Sports Center and Hai was quickly accepted into the training mechanism of a young athlete. Hai said: "At home, the two brothers practice together, it was through the training sessions with his older brother that Hai learned, but the essence of martial arts is far from the initial thoughts of keeping fit, and also reducing the burden on his parents' lives." Hai's confidence and natural talent were soon revealed on the mat with fights that leading boxing experts commented were "better than his age". This was further proven in the 2014 National Youth Boxing Championship held last June, where Hai defeated his opponent with an absolute score.

For 14-year-olds who are still carefree, many children are being taken care of by their families in life, but for Hai, turning 14 is a big turning point in his life. It is also the first time he has to leave his family to live in Da Nang. Therefore, Hai's studies are also disrupted when he has to change schools and classes. The leaders of Nghe An Sports Center expressed their concern: "For a young athlete to leave his family early is difficult, so we are also very worried and try to monitor and guide Hai so that he can develop in the right direction. In Nghe An, there are many cases of decline due to lack of proper care. Therefore, the task of monitoring and teaching Xuan Hai to develop both virtue and talent is a very important task for us."

It is too early to judge the talent of an athlete. Of course, on the road to success, there must be sacrifices and dedication in training during difficult days. And Hai is a talented boxer but is only a budding flower, will need care, nurturing, guidance and training to become a fragrant flower that spreads its fragrance to life.

Ngoc Minh