Teacher and student 'superhero' Nguyen Thi Oanh talk about the gold achievement of SEA Games 32

20 unforgettable minutes in life

That was 20 minutes that Vietnamese fans anxiously waited to see if the golden girl of Vietnamese athletics, Nguyen Thi Oanh, would have enough stamina to compete in the 1,500m final and then continue to compete in the 3,000m obstacle course final. Then everyone burst into joy of victory.

Người trong cuộc kể về chiến tích vàng SEA Games 32 - Ảnh 1. — Nguyen Thi Oanh creates miracle at SEA Games 32

Nguyen Thi Oanh said that when the Organizing Committee announced the change of competition schedule at the last minute, she, coach Tran Van Sy, the coaching staff as well as the department leaders discussed, considered and came to the decision to compete, accepting to face the challenge. "Honestly, when I decided to compete in two consecutive events, I was worried and pressured about how to allocate my health, physical strength and mentality to complete the event well. This was the first time I experienced this so I did not know what would happen to me. So the pressure is understandable. Normally, I can do a lot of things in 20 minutes. I also planned to eat, drink and get a massage after finishing the 1,500m final, but those 20 minutes passed so quickly that I could do nothing but move to the waiting room to compete in the 3,000m obstacle course," Nguyen Thi Oanh revealed.

Yesterday, Coach Tran Van Sy and his team were warmly welcomed when they returned to Tan Son Nhat Airport (HCMC) after winning 4 gold medals at the 32nd SEA Games.

Meanwhile, coach Tran Van Sy said: "Three months before the SEA Games, we received a relatively favorable competition schedule for Oanh, so we registered to participate in 4 events. When the professional meeting took place, the Organizing Committee changed the schedule to be even more favorable than the previous one, competing in the afternoon. However, when we were preparing to compete on the afternoon of May 8 (the first day), at noon we received a new schedule that we would compete in 2 events: 1,500 m and 3,000 m obstacle course, only 20 minutes apart, which surprised everyone. According to the regulations, if Oanh withdrew from competing in the 1,500 m or 3,000 m obstacle course, she would not be allowed to compete in the next event, so we decided to let Oanh compete in 2 events next to each other. After that decision, Oanh and I seemed to not contact many people and limited our use of social networks to avoid psychological problems. The teacher and student only knew how to go to the field to encourage each other that Let's go one stage at a time. You'll finish the 5,000m, then the 1,500m and then we'll calculate the next distance."

Nguyen Thi Oanh responded in Cambodia before returning home on the afternoon of May 13.

Regarding how Nguyen Thi Oanh recovered and competed well with two such close distances, coach Tran Van Sy confided: "We have our own secrets of the profession. Oanh has never competed like that before, but during the training in Nghe An to prepare for the 32nd SEA Games, I gave her many more rigorous exercises such as a break between two events of only 2 to 3 minutes. Thanks to that, Oanh's physical foundation and endurance also increased."

Người trong cuộc kể về chiến tích vàng SEA Games 32 - Ảnh 3.

Conquer new heights

After the 32nd SEA Games, Nguyen Thi Oanh plans to go home to rest with her family because she has been away from home for training and competition since the Lunar New Year. After that, the golden girl of Vietnamese athletics will return to training to prepare for the Asian Outdoor Championship in July in Thailand, the World Championship in Budapest (Hungary) in August and especially the 19th ASIAD in September 2023 in China. "In the coming time, we will make the exercises more difficult, higher, and even have less rest time so that Nguyen Thi Oanh can aim for a high goal at the ASIAD. In this arena, I expect Oanh to make a breakthrough in the 1,500m and 3,000m obstacle races, which are two key events," said coach Tran Van Sy.

Source link