Ton Hoang Khanh Lan is a very familiar name in bodybuilding, having had almost no opponents in domestic tournaments for many years. Since 2001, the female athlete born in 1978 from Dong Nai has always had her name on the gold list in the 52kg weight category and is the female all-around champion in 6 out of the last 9 national tournaments.
Not to mention Khanh Lan has also "dominated" her weight class for 5 consecutive National Sports Festivals since 2006! In 2018, Khanh Lan also made her mark in the international arena with a Gold Medal at the World Bodybuilding and Fitness Championship held in Thailand.
Sports tournaments taking place in Thailand seem to have a connection with Khanh Lan, when in 2015, the girl from Dong Nai province once again won a gold medal, but this time not in bodybuilding but in road cycling in the mass start category for women in the 45-49 age group.
Immediately after returning home, female bodybuilder Ton Hoang Khanh Lan had an interesting conversation with Dan Tri reporter about her journey to win the precious gold medal in Thailand mentioned above.
Female athlete Ton Hoang Khanh Lan won gold medal at the 2025 Asian Road Cycling Championship held in Thailand (Photo: NVCC).
Hello and congratulations to Ms. Khanh Lan. Until now, your feelings about the gold medal you won in Thailand must still be intact?
- Even though I have been back home for a few days, I still feel like I am floating in the clouds, because I really don't believe that I can win a gold medal in my first time participating in an international tournament and in a sport that is not my forte.
I remember when I just crossed the finish line, the team members announced that I had won the gold medal, but I still couldn't believe it was true. My heart was pounding, I was so nervous. Then I received countless congratulations from everyone, and the news from the media, then I thought I had succeeded as I wished.
The secret to "playing hard and playing hard" on the racetrack
It seems that you are the athlete that the Vietnamese cycling team did not set a target of winning a gold medal at the tournament in Thailand, instead there are bright names like Nguyen Thi That, Nguyen Tuan Vu... So what is the secret to your recent outstanding achievements?
- I just learned about road cycling in mid-June 2022. Back then, I used to joke with people that if you are an athlete, you can get on the podium (win a medal) as soon as you get on the saddle. When competing, you have to fight with all your might, "play hard, play hard" just like me. I always aim to compete beautifully and leave a good impression on everyone.
When competing in Thailand, I always remember the instructions of Coach Dang Ngoc Tu (Coach of Dong Nai province's cycling team) that I must try to focus 100% on following my opponent, waiting for the most appropriate moment to accelerate in the last kilometers according to the tactic that people often call "hiding from the wind".
I had to try to stay close to my opponent, balance my strength properly to release myself in the last 200m to surprise my opponent and make him unable to stop me from winning. Before leaving for Thailand, I told my coach that I would win the jersey that every champion desires, would stand on the podium and watch the Vietnamese flag flying.
The night before the competition, I was so nervous that I slept fitfully, praying that I would not have any problems when competing. Just kidding, I also watched many clips of athletes sprinting to the finish line, including the female athlete Nguyen Thi That, who is my idol.
In that tournament, the Vietnamese team had an ironic incident where all their bicycles caught fire right before the race day. Were you one of the athletes whose bicycles caught fire and did that greatly affect your mentality as well as that of your teammates in the race?
- Luckily, I didn't go with the group on February 5, so my bike didn't burn out like everyone else. To be honest, it was because I didn't have enough money to leave early. To go to Thailand to compete, I only received 5 million VND from Cat Viet Thai Club, the rest I had to pay for myself. The Vietnam Cycling Federation only supported me with registration and transporting the bike to the competition venue.
At first, I really wanted to compete in two events: individual time trial and women's mass start. But the difficulty is that to compete in individual time trial cycling, you need to have a bike that meets the standards of the Asian Cycling Federation, while my height is a bit picky, so it is very difficult to borrow a standard bike.
So I could only compete in the women's cross-country start. Luckily, I was not affected by the car fire like everyone else, so I won the precious gold medal. I still feel happy and joyful because I did something that brought glory to my country.
Now I am more well-known on the street, even more famous than in bodybuilding. The other day when I went to eat at a restaurant, many people recognized me and asked to take pictures. When I was cycling on the street, many people greeted me and congratulated me, which made me feel embarrassed and ashamed.
Can you tell us more about the opportunity that brought you to cycling even though you are a famous bodybuilder?
- At first, I just wanted to buy a bicycle, to save money compared to riding a motorbike. I am a single mother, my daughter is only 12 years old, so I try to save money to take care of her education.
Moreover, cycling is good for health, not only contributing to a green and clean environment but also helping me to strengthen my thigh muscles in bodybuilding. Cycling has become a habit for me every day. Seeing other people racing, I also tried it and became addicted from then on. In the last 4 cycling races I participated in, I won all 4 times.
For the past two years, I have registered to participate in every cycling race and have been lucky enough to win a medal.
Unless on maternity leave, I won't be a bodybuilding champion.
It is known that before coming to cycling, you were a famous bodybuilder. It seems that last October you even won a double gold medal in bodybuilding at the national competition?
- Since entering professional bodybuilding competitions in 2001 until now, except for 2012 when I took time off to give birth to my daughter and 2023 when I took time off to lose weight, there has never been a year when I did not win the championship. I won gold medals in all 6 national sports competitions.
For many years in a row, I have won the title of number one bodybuilder in Vietnam and the most beautiful female bodybuilder in Vietnam.
In short, in my 23 years of competing, I have won at least one or two gold medals every year. In 2025, I aim to win gold medals at the Southeast Asian and Asian bodybuilding championships in July, and the national and world championships in October.
How do you think bodybuilding helps you when racing bicycles?
- Bodybuilding helps me to have strong legs, strong will when playing cycling and helps me to be confident when participating in competitions. On the contrary, cycling helps to supplement my body a lot, burning cardio to help my thigh muscles become firm and toned.
People also know that Khanh Lan is very good at soccer, martial arts, it seems like she can play every sport. So does anyone tease her that she lacks gentleness and femininity?
- On the first day of the cycling race, the referees kept mistaking me for a man because they thought I was muscular. Even many male athletes did not look as strong as me. Only a few people knew that I was the female bodybuilder Khanh Lan, so they explained to the referees and were no longer asked to leave the starting line.
I can say that I am unique and different from others because I only like strong male sports such as soccer, martial arts, running, cycling, and bodybuilding. When I compete, I only play with men and rarely play with women. Generally, I have won high prizes in every sport I have participated in.
But on the contrary, in real life, I also like to wear beautiful dresses like other women. However, I have big shoulders and muscles, so there are no suitable dresses to buy and wear. To be honest, when practicing and competing in any sport, I am as strong as a man. But in real life, I am a bit shy and embarrassed, after all, I am a woman.
Athlete Khanh Lan is determined to win many gold medals in bodybuilding and cycling in 2025 (Photo: NVCC).
What are your interests outside of work? What is your favorite motto or saying in life?
- I like to do charity work to help people. I have also donated blood more than 30 times to help many people in need. Generally, people with money will do charity work, I have health so I do it my way, as long as I live with my heart, live for everyone.
I like the saying: "If you have a wolf mentality, success will only be a matter of time." That is the motto I apply in my sports training and competition.
Thanks Khanh Lan for this interesting conversation!
Dantri.com.vn
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