'Second place king' Nguyen Thi Thuy and her journey to winning the 100m Athletics Gold Cup

Prestigious Second Prizes

Holding the Gold Medal in her hand, Nguyen Thi Thuy said: "For many years, I have always been the second place winner in competitions. This is the first time I have overcome that limit to win this meaningful Gold Medal." The story of the awards in the field of sports that Nguyen Thi Thuy has achieved since she was an 8th grader until she was a 3rd year student at Vinh University became interesting when they were all... second place winners.

From a young age, little Nguyen Thi Thuy surprised many people with her special passion for sports such as volleyball, soccer, and sprinting. These sports were usually reserved for boys at that time, but her eagerness to conquer these games helped Thuy overcome the teasing of her peers.

Nguyen Thi Thuy won a Silver Medal in the long jump at the 2022 Nghe An Provincial Sports Festival. Photo: Duc Anh

Growing up, I was encouraged by my teachers to participate in school, district and provincial level sports competitions. Not letting my teachers down, in grade 8, I won second prize in the 100m sprint and second prize in the long jump at the Phu Dong Sports Festival held in the province in 2015. In grade 10, I won second prize in the long jump at the Phu Dong Sports Festival held in the province in 2017. Also in this year, I continued to win 3 Silver Medals in the 4x100m relay, long jump and 100m run at the National Student Athletics Championships.

That streak of success was maintained until now.Nghe An Provincial Sports CongressThis year, she continued to win second prize in the long jump. It was thought that Thuy's achievement would only stop at second place. But then the joy exploded when she excellently won the Gold Medal in the 100m sprint.

Nguyen Thi Thuy (brown shirt) excellently won the Gold Medal in the 100m athletics event at the 2022 Nghe An Provincial Sports Festival. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Nguyen Thi Thuy confided: “I am not a professional athlete, so when I entered this congress, I was filled with anxiety and pressure. Along with that, my weight was sometimes higher than the standard of an athlete, so I always urged myself to practice hard so as not to return empty-handed like the previous Congress. HangEvery day, I aim to complete 10 laps around Ho Chi Minh Square. At the same time, I learn advanced skill exercises through the trainer and accompanying documents."

Besides the training factor, long jump also has the risk of injury at any time. A long jump with an incorrect landing, an incorrect jumping position... will lead to a sprained foot, sprained ankle and many other dangerous injuries that will last a lifetime. Therefore, that is also the pressure for Thuy when pursuing this sport. But above all, she has done what she wanted.

An interesting little-known fact about Thuy is that her journey to pursue her passion is a continuation of her sister's dream. According to her, since childhood, Thuy's sister also had a special love for running and high jumping. Thanks to her outstanding achievements, since grade 6, Thuy's sister was selected to go to Vinh city to practice these two sports. However, an unexpected injury forced her to give up her dream. But then her sadness was soothed when she witnessed the success that her sister had achieved. That was the happiness that continued for Thuy to move forward to pursue the path she had chosen.

Besides completing her studies and maintaining her passion for sports, Nguyen Thi Thuy (far right) also participates in many volunteer sports activities to help many unfortunate lives. Photo: NVCC

When trust is placed in the right person

Nguyen Thi Thuy's journey to conquer Gold medals always has a great source of motivation from a special teacher. That is teacher Tran Dinh Viet (born in 1986), currently working at the Cultural Center of Nam Dan district. He was the one who discovered Thuy's talent and selected her to participate in the 8th Provincial Sports Festival held in 2018. However, at this Festival, Nguyen Thi Thuy returned empty-handed in both sprinting and long jump.

That failure made Thuy extremely disappointed and somewhat doubtful of her own abilities. Understanding that mentality, teacher Viet spent time encouraging and lifting Thuy's spirit to help her maintain her training with the motto "if you lose this game, you can set up another one". Thanks to that guidance, Thuy began to actively participate in local sports activities and practice the necessary exercises to maintain her physical strength. These activities helped her accumulate more experience and master the competitions smoothly.

Nguyen Thi Thuy was successfully coached by teacher Tran Dinh Viet (born in 1986), currently working at the Nam Dan District Cultural Center, through many tournaments. Photo: NVCC

Teacher Viet also won a Gold Medal in high jump at the 6th Provincial Sports Festival in 2010, so he supported me a lot in forming practical skills.

After 4 years since the first failure, Thuy was again chosen by her teacher to continue attending the 2nd congress. Before the congress, the teacher and student devoted all their efforts to practice the sprint exercises, gradually stabilizing Thuy's physical, technical and mental health. And then, not disappointing her teacher's expectations, Thuy excellently won 2 prestigious medals for Nam Dan district. Receiving the results, the teacher and student burst into tears of emotion.

Sharing about the student he has worked hard to guide, the teacher shared: During my time working at the District Cultural Center, I have accompanied athletes in the district to successfully complete sports tournaments. When it comes to sports, especially athletics, in addition to talent or physical strength, the practice process plays a decisive role.

It is the perseverance in training that helps Thuy develop her strengths. I saw that special thing in Thuy, so after the failure at the congress in 2018, I continued to encourage her to try to stand up from where she fell. It was her mental strength and will that helped her overcome the hardships in the training process and confidently achieve high results in the recent congress."