Attending the Olympics with his girlfriend, Tien Minh dreams of flying high

Tien Minh wants to reach the quarter-finals of the 2016 Olympics, the last Olympics of his career.

Nguyen Tien Minh and Vu Thi Trang are the golden couple of Vietnamese badminton.

In 2008, for the first time, Vietnamese badminton had two athletes winning tickets to the Olympics, Nguyen Tien Minh and Le Thi Nguyen Nhung.

Eight years later, the above achievement was repeated, in the men's category it was still Nguyen Tien Minh, but in the women's category there was a change, it was Vu Thi Trang. They are lovers.

“Vu Thi Trang is very special. It is very convenient to eat, live and train with her. With this comfort, I hope to excel at the 2016 Olympics,” Tien Minh shared. “My dream is to reach the quarterfinals. To make this come true, in addition to trying my best, I also need the help of luck. I hope the draw will be easy, because in the first round, meeting an opponent in the world's top 5 is very tiring.”

Tien Minh is the first Vietnamese athlete to compete in three consecutive Olympics in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Meanwhile, this is the first time Vu Thi Trang has had the honor of participating in the Olympics. In 2010, Vu Thi Trang won a bronze medal at the Youth Olympics in Singapore.

Vice President of the Vietnam Badminton Federation Le Thanh Sang said that since Tien Minh has been by her side, Vu Thi Trang has been eating well, practicing well, and making much progress. He also revealed that he has met Tien Minh's father, and that the male athlete's family is very supportive of the relationship between the number one badminton duo in Vietnam.

In the near future, Mizuno will support Tien Minh to participate in a series of international tournaments, preparing for the 2016 Olympics.

Vu Thi Trang promises to continue to improve and participate in the Olympics in the future. Meanwhile, Tien Minh (33 years old) is considering retirement and Vietnamese badminton has yet to find someone to replace him.

“Vietnam has many athletes who are better than me. But they are only good for 1-2 years, and after a little bit of promotion, they will fade away. Badminton requires diligent practice every day, maintained for many years. It takes a strong love and a lot of concentration to reach the top. I am a bit sad that there is no successor behind me,” Tien Minh added.

Tien Minh has attended coaching classes and plans to train talents for Vietnamese badminton. However, he believes that if there are no training academies in the S-shaped strip of land, the chances for Vietnamese athletes to reach new heights and enter the world arena are very slim.

According to VNE