On the evening of May 9, I almost jumped up in joy and excitement when I witnessed the sprint of Nguyen Thi Oanh - the "golden girl", "snail" of Vietnamese athletics - in the 3,000m obstacle race.
Super difficult challenge: Competing in 2 consecutive middle distance finals only 20 minutes apart, she still overcame them excellently, thereby successfully defending all 3 gold medals she won at the 31st SEA Games last year.
Nguyen Thi Oanh surprised everyone when she won 2 gold medals in 2 events less than 20 minutes apart (Photo: Tien Tuan).
An extraordinary feat
Yes, winning two gold medals in the 1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase just over 20 minutes apart at the 32nd SEA Games is truly an unbelievable feat, worthy of the 2 words "extraordinary"!
Just that morning, Oanh herself and the team's coaching staff were suddenly notified of a change in the competition schedule by the Athletics Organizing Committee. Accordingly, Oanh's plan to compete in 2 events in 2 days (May 9 and 10) was shortened to... 20 minutes. All objections were invalid.
Conspiracy theorists have made many analyses about this change in competition schedule. But here, let's focus on the ultimate challenge that lies before Oanh. As far as I know, before the change in competition schedule, there was an opinion among the fans: Did Oanh have to calculate to choose to exert maximum strength in 1 of the 2 events, instead of wanting to win both gold medals? And the answer is there, very clearly, from her own different class, determination and will!
In the 1,500m event, Oanh actively "hid from the wind" behind Chui Ling Go (Singapore) for most of the competition, only really accelerating in the last lap to finish first with a time of 4 minutes 16 seconds 85, 2 seconds lower than the 31st SEA Games, but still 10 seconds ahead of her opponent! After finishing, she only had time to dry herself off and immediately prepared for the final 3,000m obstacle course, which took place just over 15 minutes later. Everything was so urgent that Oanh had to postpone the doping test (a mandatory procedure for athletes winning gold medals) to be able to enter the second challenge.
In the 3,000m event, still in the same sweaty outfit, Oanh continued to choose the strategy of chasing Jolda Gognao (Philippines) instead of taking the lead. However, it is worth mentioning that Oanh was very proactive in following her opponent closely (sometimes only less than 1 meter away from her opponent), forcing Gognao to not be able to... leisurely take the lead. At the end of the penultimate lap, when Gognao started to breathe hard, Oanh accelerated to take the lead. Her legs were still as agile as a gazelle. The gap kept widening until she finished 6 seconds ahead of her opponent.
Drenched in sweat, Oanh only bent over to adjust her breathing for nearly a minute, then ran to the coaching area, received the national flag, and celebrated the victory with her teammate Nguyen Thi Huong (who won the bronze medal). A forest of cameras surrounded her. In the distance, Gognao showed signs of fatigue, turning his head to look at Oanh as if he couldn’t believe there was such a formidable opponent in the Southeast Asian region…
Witnessing that scene, I was filled with pride and admiration. "Pepper Girl" Nguyen Thi Oanh is truly a "superwoman", who has amazed the athletics world of the whole region. In that small body, there is not only outstanding ability (compared to her opponents) but also a truly extraordinary determination and will!
The aspiration to rise of the "golden girl"Few people know that to have today, Nguyen Thi Oanh - nicknamed "Oanh" (given by her teammates because she was born in the year of the Pig, 1995) - has gone through extremely difficult challenges in her life and career as an athlete.
She was born into a poor farming family with many children in the countryside of Lang Giang (Bac Giang). Not only was her family's situation difficult (her family did not initially support Oanh's pursuit of sports), but her very modest height was also a significant obstacle for this girl when she first came to athletics.
But in Oanh is a great desire to stick with and grow with sports. She always strives tirelessly to perfect her techniques, improve her level to compensate for her physical disadvantages. After consecutive successes in youth competitions, just asserting herself in the national competition, Oanh suddenly discovered glomerulonephritis. But even the terrible disease and the doctor's prohibition of sports could not stop her will. After nearly 2 years of stopping competition to focus on treatment, while still trying to maintain training, Oanh overcame the disease to return to the track, and then continuously made achievements that surprised everyone.
At the 29th SEA Games in 2017 in Malaysia, at the age of 22, Oanh won a double gold medal in the 1,500m and 5,000m events. At the 30th SEA Games in 2019 in the Philippines, she made her first "golden hat-trick" in the 1,500m, 5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase events.
At the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam, Nguyen Thi Oanh successfully defended her top position in all three categories. And this time, in Cambodia, Oanh's number of gold medals won at the SEA Games has increased to 11 after completing a "hat-trick" of 3 consecutive gold medals.
What's special is that, while previously, Oanh had won 4 "gold medal doubles" in 1 day (4-8 hours apart) at SEA Games 30, 31 as well as 2 national championships, this time, the "double" became the most special when the 2 events were only 20 minutes apart (according to experts, it is difficult to find a second similar case in the world).
There is no doubt about Oanh's outstanding talent in the region. But more importantly, Nguyen Thi Oanh is an example of overcoming difficulties, aspiration to rise up as well as extraordinary will and determination. She deserves to be considered a great inspiration, not only for athletes but also for young talents in many other areas of social life!
Author: Journalist Doan Huu Binh is currently the Head of the Editorial Board of Sports Magazine (General Department of Sports and Physical Training); Standing Member of the Vietnam Entertainment E-Sports Association, Member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Chess Federation; member of the Media Board of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Mr. Binh was formerly the Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Sports Newspaper's Reporters Department and co-author of the book Draft History of Vietnamese Football. At the 31st SEA Games held in Vietnam in 2022, journalist Doan Huu Binh was a member of the Communications Subcommittee of the Organizing Committee and the author of the slogan "For a stronger Southeast Asia" of the 31st SEA Games.
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