Journey to Gold Medal of Nghe An Young Wrestler

Step up to podium number 1

Meeting Tat Loc with a proud and excited face, he excitedly told about the Gold Medal he won at the 2021 National Classical Wrestling Championship. That was theGold Medalfirst in the career of the boy born in 1999 in this wrestling.

Loc shared: “I am very happy because I have fulfilled the determination I set from the first days of training. On the training floor, I always tell myself to be more persistent and try harder, and one day I will stand on the number 1 podium.”

What Loc has done is commendable, because the cradle of classical wrestling originated from the northern provinces and cities - where there is a long tradition of wrestling such as Bac Ninh or Hanoi. This movement is considered by the people here as an indispensable spiritual food in every festival. That is why, when national tournaments are held, these localities often win the highest positions. However, this year, Loc finished with a completely convincing result, defeating many strong candidates, and was recognized by experts as a talented and promising athlete of the country's wrestling.

Tat Loc, with his thinking and lightning-fast attack style, has created his own brand. Photo: NVCC

Entering the tournament, the 1999-born boy competed in the 77 kg weight class. Before reaching the final match, Loc had convincingly defeated 3 opponents.

The first match of the tournament was a fairly easy one for the young man from Do Luong. According to the tournament rules, each match will be conducted in 3 rounds to calculate points to determine the winner or loser. However, if any athlete achieves a score difference of 8-0 compared to the opponent, he will be recognized as the winner without having to continue competing. And in that first match, when the first round had only lasted less than half of the time, Loc had already achieved a result of 8-0, thereby winning easily. In the following matches, although the Do Luong athlete faced opponents 4-5 kg ​​heavier than him, Loc always showed his superiority in class.

This year, due to the pandemic, the Organizing Committee has accelerated the progress, the tournament only takes place in 1 day, so the final match takes place at night. Although he has gone through many intense and exhausting matches, however, with the will and sincere encouragement and responsibility of Coach Dang Xuan Nghia (Head of Wrestling Department - Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center), the athlete born in 1999 entered the final match with complete confidence and a very high determination. Meeting an opponent who is predicted to be a candidate for the championship, so scoring points against this opponent is not easy. With his signature counter-throw, the Do Luong boy defeated his opponent with a score of 3-1, in 3 official rounds, thereby stepping up to the pinnacle of glory of the 2021 National Classical Wrestling Championship.

“I want to dedicate this victory to the teachers who guided me on the path of professional sports. They have enlightened my future, I tell myself that I will always strive to be worthy of everyone's expectations for me,” Loc shared his feelings after winning the championship.

Standing on the SEA Games stage

Since childhood, Nguyen Tat Loc has been passionate about sports, especially soccer. He was a member of the Thuong Son Secondary School (Do Luong) soccer team participating in district-level tournaments. Knowing his outstanding qualities and appearance, two coaches Ho Thanh Cong and Nguyen Tat Nong of the Do Luong District Cultural Center introduced Loc to the Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center with the hope that he would become a professional athlete in the future.

Coming from a poor family, his parents were just farmers, along with a burning passion for sports, the boy born in 1999 was very happy when he was selected by the center's coaches. "My family is poor, my father is often sick, so I was able to go to the center to study, which has reduced some of the burden on my family and will open up a bright future for me in the future," Loc confided.

Athlete Nguyen Tat Loc won the Gold Medal at the 2021 National Classical Wrestling Championship. Photo: NVCC

Practicing professional sports is never easy, especially wrestling which requires a lot of physical strength from athletes, so there were times when the young man from Do Luong thought he could not overcome it. Loc recalled: “On the first day of practice, the tumbling movements made me dizzy and I vomited on the spot, so at that time I thought that maybe I could not practice this sport. However, with the enthusiastic encouragement of the teachers at the center, I was able to overcome it. After a period of practice, my body gradually adapted and I loved this sport more and more.”

Loc added: “Here, athletes, outside of training hours, always receive attention from the teachers, who are always close, instruct and treat us like blood brothers. I remember one cold winter day, on a motorbike, teacher Luyen took me to the bus station to go home. On the way, he confided that when deciding to follow this career, you must live a truly responsible life with the path you have chosen, it is better to sweat on the training ground than to collapse on the competition floor. He also told me that even when I return home, I must still try to maintain my physical strength and not let go. Those words helped me think more carefully about the path I have chosen.”

Loc's first sweet fruit in wrestling was the Bronze Medal in Classical Wrestling in 2015. In the following years, he won Silver and Bronze Medals for the province's sports. But it was not until 2021 that the athlete born in 1999 won the Gold Medal for the first time.

With those achievements, Nguyen Tat Loc was called up to the Vietnam National Wrestling Team. Now, the Do Luong athlete is working hard to be able to put his name on the list of the team participating in the 2021 SEA Games. Currently, the team has 12 athletes divided equally in 6 weight categories. They are very strong athletes, all of whom will compete for 6 official positions. To continue to conquer this difficult goal, a young person like Loc must have more breakthroughs in the near future.

Loc shared: “Competing in a big arena like the SEA Games is the dream of any athlete in Vietnam, I will try my best to make this dream come true. In addition, wearing the national team jersey and competing on the small screen for my relatives and friends to watch will give me a feeling of great pride. Because those things always motivate me to strive even harder.”

With passion and perseverance, I wish Nguyen Tat Loc will achieve his plans and goals for the future./.

Duc Anh