The athlete who 'picked gold' for Vietnamese Sepak Takraw and the dream of spreading the fire

Nguyen Thi Quyen (left) and teammates at the Vietnam National Sepak Takraw Team. Photo: PV

Fate with rattan ball

When it comes to the sport of sepak takraw in Nghe An, everyone knows Nguyen Thi Quyen. She is famous for beingathletethe most successful sportswoman in the province. However, to achieve that achievement, Quyen had to go through a process of tireless training.

17 years ago, Quyen came to Sepak Takraw by chance. At that time, she was a 10th grade student, the petite girl was selected by the school to compete in the Sepak Takraw Tournament.Phu Dong Sports FestivalProvincial football department. Early on, Quyen showed her athletic talent and was noticed by many scouts in many sports. After a football match in the semi-finals of the Provincial Phu Dong Sports Festival that year, Mr. Hoang Huu Nghia, the Sepak Takraw coach of the Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center, realized that Quyen had the qualities to become a professional athlete. Mr. Nghia persuaded Quyen to join the Sepak Takraw class of the center.

“I was very surprised when Mr. Nghia called me back and suggested that I join his Sepak Takraw class. At that time, I didn’t understand anything about Sepak Takraw so I was a bit worried, but because of my passion for sports, I didn’t hesitate and agreed to try this sport” - Nguyen Thi Quyen recalled.

In the Sepak Takraw class that day, Quyen was the one who came into contact with this sport the latest. Her classmates all practiced since they were 12 or 13 years old, but Quyen did not start practicing professionally until she was 16. Being so late, Quyen had to try twice or three times harder than her friends. There were difficult exercises that made her cry because of pain and fatigue.

“What I remember most is the first day I started training. I had to press my legs against the wall, my feet perpendicular, my two legs forming a straight line parallel to the wall. This exercise is the first difficult hurdle that every sepak takraw athlete has to overcome. This exercise made me hurt, I cried all night long without being able to sleep” - Quyen shared.

Nguyen Thi Quyen is considered to have the most "unusual" serves in the tournaments she participates in. Photo: PV

After a period of training, Quyen gradually revealed her outstanding qualities. With skillful feet, stable passing with the sole of her foot, good reflexes and judgment of the ball, she was always assigned the position of setter of the team.

In 2006, Quyen was one of the key players of the Nghe An Sepak Takraw Team participating in the National Sepak Takraw Championship. This was Quyen's first official tournament. In this tournament, she left a strong impression in the eyes of experts as she was not only a highly stable setter but also had the most "unusual" serves in the tournament. In addition, Quyen could also participate in the attack with her sharp sweeps. This tournament was a springboard for Quyen to make great strides in the following years.

"Reaping" World Gold Medal

With her outstanding ability in the position of setter 2, Quyen is always an official member of the Vietnam National Sepak Takraw Team. During her peak sports career, Quyen has won many medals at home and abroad, one of which is the Gold Medal of the Sepak Takraw World Championship in 2016.

Thinking about this Gold Medal, Quyen could not help but be moved. Because according to Quyen, Vietnam is not one of the strong countries in Sepak Takraw. Countries like Thailand or Indonesia have a tradition in this sport and their teams are very strong. Therefore, winning the Gold Medal in the 4th Team category of the Sepak Takraw World Championship in 2016 was a miracle that Vietnam Sepak Takraw achieved. This can be said to be the most memorable milestone in the career of the female athlete.

Medal awarding ceremony at ASEAN 2018. Photo: PV

During her career, Quyen has won many medals for Vietnamese sports with more than 28 medals of all kinds in international competitions. Domestically, Quyen is considered a "gold mine" of Nghe An sports. Since entering professional competition, Quyen and her teammates have won 3 to 4 medals of all kinds every year. It can be said that Quyen is one of the most successful athletes of Nghe An sports.

With significant contributions at the national and national team levels, in 2018 Quyen was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister awarded Certificates of Merit to outstanding athletes in 2018. Photo: PV

To achieve those results, in addition to the sweat on the training ground, the petite female athlete often shed tears because of painful injuries. Quyen shared: “The process of training and competing so intensely made my risk of injury very high. I remember one time my knee was so painful that I couldn’t walk. I had to inject medicine directly into my knee. Many times I was discouraged and wanted to give up, but because my love for sepak takraw was so great, I couldn’t stop. So I persevered to overcome the injury and continue competing.”

Now at the age of 34, on the decline of her career, Nguyen Thi Quyen still desires to contribute to the province's sports. But besides that, Quyen also wants to pass on her experiences to the next generations. During training hours, Quyen always spends a lot of time instructing the movements from basic to advanced to the next generation. Because according to Quyen, the success of an athlete does not only come from talent but also through a process of hard training. And predecessors like Quyen, with many years of competing at the top level, have accumulated a lot of knowledge and experience to be able to guide the next generation of athletes. Passionate and enthusiastic, Nguyen Thi Quyen, who burns herself out in the arenas, now desires to ignite the love of sports in the young generations of athletes, so that Nghe An Sepak Takraw maintains its top position in the country.