"Silence" of Thanh Hoa athletics

For the first time in many years, Thanh Hoa athletics was “absent” from the list of achievements at a SEA Games and was somewhat “quiet” in the national arena. This is truly a necessary “silence” for this sport to have a younger, stronger comeback in the near future.

Quach Cong Lich (number 305) is the current leader of the Thanh Hoa athletics team.

After many times participating in the Southeast Asian Games and achieving impressive results, Thanh Hoa athletics for the first time came up empty-handed when it failed to win any medals at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia.

At the 9th National Sports Congress - 2022, Thanh Hoa athletics only had 1 gold medal from athlete Quach Cong Lich. This is the congress in which Thanh Hoa's strong sport achieved the lowest results. The absence of key athlete Quach Thi Lan due to doping is also the reason for the decline in Thanh Hoa athletics' achievements. If this female athlete born in 1995 had participated, Thanh Hoa athletics could have achieved better results. In the immediate future, Quach Thi Lan continues to be banned from competing and cannot return. This is also the time for the Thanh Hoa athletics team to calculate personnel, ready to replace Quach Thi Lan.

Not only that, it is time for Thanh Hoa athletics to have a transfer of forces when veteran athletes such as Quach Cong Lich, Le Van Thao, Luong Van Thao, Truong Thi Thu (pole vault) ... are on the other side of the "slope" of their careers. Even in the national arena, these athletes have failed against young faces from other units.

Up to now, Thanh Hoa athletics has introduced a new generation of athletes who have been trained in national youth tournaments such as Bui Thi Thu Ha, Le Thi Bich, Bui Van Dung, Pham Thi Van Anh, Ha Van Nhat, Le Trung Duc... At the 2022 National Youth Championship, the Thanh Hoa athletics team ranked 3rd overall with 3 gold medals and 2 bronze medals. In addition, runners such as Bui Thi Thu Ha, Le Trung Duc, Ha Van Nhat have also won individual and team medals many times at the Tien Phong Marathon in recent years. This has affirmed that Thanh Hoa always has talented young athletes. After the generation of Quach Thi Lan, Quach Cong Lich, Truong Thi Thu, Le Trong Hinh... it is time for the next generation of young athletes to take on their responsibilities. However, it will take some time for the young faces to achieve the same results as their "seniors". This means that Thanh Hoa athletics will accept that their achievements at national championships and international tournaments will decline. In fact, the coaching staff of Thanh Hoa athletics team has determined this early on, not to put any pressure on the athletes regarding their achievements. Instead, they encourage and create conditions for young athletes to fully develop their talents.

This year, the training conditions of the Thanh Hoa athletics team have been significantly improved when the provincial stadium's track was replaced and modernized. This is a very important factor when the team's strengths are distance running events such as 400m, 400m hurdles, 3,000m hurdles, 5,000m, 10,000m, half marathon, relay races, pole vault... Training on a new, modern track also helps the Thanh Hoa athletics team invest in additional distances such as 100m, 200m, high jump, long jump... In addition, in the past 2 years, the Thanh Hoa athletics team has also paid special attention to youth training, considering this a long-term preparation for the 10th National Sports Congress - 2026, the 33rd SEA Games - 2025 and other tournaments.

Head coach of Thanh Hoa Athletics Team Luu Van Hung said: This is really a difficult period for the department when entering the process of transferring forces. Although young athletes have achieved achievements in national youth tournaments, to advance to arenas such as the national championship, they need more time to hone their expertise and accumulate competition experience. In addition to efforts to improve the quality of training and coaching, the department has also created conditions for them to participate in tournaments at many levels throughout the year. The 2023 National Youth Athletics Championships taking place from June 17 to 21 is considered an important test for Thanh Hoa athletes. The competition results of each athlete will be the basis for the coaching staff to gain experience, have the most accurate assessment, thereby investing in athletes and strong events. In addition, the team also has outstanding faces called up to the youth team and the national team. This is an opportunity for young athletes to train in better facilities at the National Sports Training Center 1 (Hanoi).

In addition, Thanh Hoa athletics has also made flexible adjustments when investing in the triathlon event. This event is still under the management of the athletics department. The most obvious achievement is the gold medal in the mixed duathlon relay event of the triathlon event won by 4 athletes Ha Van Nhat, Le Thi Lan, Bui Van Dung, Le Thi Bich at the 9th National Sports Festival.

The positive signals from youth training and the daily determination of coaches and athletes are an important foundation for Thanh Hoa athletics to overcome the current challenging period, have the best preparation for the new development stage, and aim for the big goals ahead.

Article and photos: Manh Cuong

Source