Tennis player Nguyen Thuy Linh: Life is like climbing a mountain

Efforts have helped Nguyen Thuy Linh advance rapidly in recent years – Photo: HOANG TUNG

Nguyen Thuy Linh, born in 1997 in Phu Tho. “When I was 9 years old, after every school hour, my grandfather would pick me up and take me to the community badminton courts. I liked seeing people playing, and wished that one day I could play as well as that.

He saw that I loved it and showed many qualities, so he set milestones for me to practice. Every time I passed them, he would reward me with candy and take me out for dessert. Gradually, he allowed me to pursue the path of a professional athlete," Thuy Linh said.

Difficult early days

At the age of 10, Thuy Linh went to Hanoi to attend a gifted class with coach Duong Thi Lien. She quickly showed her talent at the school level. However, the medals were not enough to convince Thuy Linh's mother to let her eldest daughter pursue badminton.

Thuy Linh said: “My mother strictly forbade me from playing sports. In her eyes, girls should wear flowing dresses and learn to play musical instruments, not pursue a career in shorts and jerseys. When I was 12, I had to quit badminton. Then, my mother suddenly became seriously ill and passed away. The family met to discuss whether I should continue playing badminton. At that time, I was 14 years old and promised my family that I would succeed. Because only then would I not feel guilty towards my mother.”

Immediately after returning to professional sports, Thuy Linh immediately made her mark with a gold medal at the national youth tournament, was called up to the national team and participated in the world tournament. But then tragedy struck again.

At the age of 15, Thuy Linh lost her greatest spiritual support when her grandfather passed away. “I did not have time to hear his last words. I always remember that moment and it became the motivation for me to overcome every time I encountered difficulties later on,” she shared.

Thuy Linh is the pride of Vietnamese badminton – Photo: GETTY

Journey to the number 1 position in Vietnam

At the time Thuy Linh emerged as a bright young talent, the Vietnamese badminton world was dominated by Vu Thi Trang. This was also the first “mountain” that Thuy Linh set a goal to overcome.

She told about one of the big turning points that changed her: “There was a time when I almost had the chance to compete with Trang. But before I could reach that match, I lost. I was depressed, cried and stopped practicing continuously. My grandmother called to advise me to go back to school to study culture, the sports salary of several million dong was not better than working as a factory worker in the countryside. I thought and realized that badminton was my passion, my job. If I wanted to achieve results, I had to chart a reasonable path for myself and, most importantly, I had to always try hard.”

In 2014, Thuy Linh won her first title with a bronze medal in the women's singles at the National Sports Festival. A year later, she won the National Excellent Tennis Players Tournament and was selected to compete at the 28th SEA Games. 2016 and 2017 were the biggest turning points in Thuy Linh's career when she won the series tournaments in Nepal, Mongolia, and Laos to enter the world's top 100 for the first time.

“The most special thing was the title at the Challenge tournament in Italy in 2017, which brought together many athletes in the world's top 30. After I won consecutive championships, coaches and experts assessed my potential to go even further,” Linh said.

In 2018, Thuy Linh officially became the number 1 female badminton player in Vietnam when she defeated her senior Vu Thi Trang at the 2018 National Sports Festival and then won the gold medal.

In the following years, Thuy Linh continuously made her mark at international tournaments, rapidly rising in the world rankings with a peak position of 20th in November 2023.

Nguyen Thuy Linh's journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics - Graphics: AN BINH

Still want to go further

Looking back on the past journey, Thuy Linh does not believe she can overcome the difficulties and challenges.

She confided: “Life is like climbing a mountain. I tell myself that I cannot stop, I must strive to climb each step firmly and one day I will reach the top. I feel like I am a very lucky athlete, I rarely feel lonely or left behind. Even though I may be alone on the journey to compete, I have received quite adequate support from the State and sponsors.”

Regarding her second time participating in the Olympics, Thuy Linh frankly said: “I try not to let people see that I have any problems. Because I am not in the seed group, I will have to meet one of the 12 strongest players. Anyway, I still need to prepare the best for the Olympics. I can lose to a stronger opponent, but I am not allowed to lose to myself.”

Between her training time, Thuy Linh enjoys meditating and reading spiritual books. This is helping her maintain a good mental state to be ready for the next challenges in her career.

Information about Thuy Linh

Nguyen Thuy Linh, born in 1997 in Phu Tho. She started playing badminton at the age of 9 and started competing professionally at the age of 14. During her career, she has won many medals of various types for Hanoi, Da Nang and Dong Nai.

– National Sports Festival: 1 bronze medal 2014; 2 gold medals 2018, 2022

– SEA Games: 2021 SEA Games women's team bronze medal

– Olympic participation: 2020 and 2024

– World ranking: 22nd (as of July 2024). Highest ranking is 20th in November 2023.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tay-vot-nguyen-thuy-linh-cuoc-song-cung-nhu-leo-nui-20240721103936906.htm