Perhaps many sports fans still cannot forget the image of athlete Pham Thi Hong Le fainting and having to be rushed to the emergency room and given oxygen after finishing the 42km marathon at the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines.
At the recent 32nd SEA Games, the little girl once again won 2 silver medals in the 5,000 and 10,000m events, just behind senior athlete Nguyen Thi Oanh.
To get those medals, Hong Le had to go through many harsh challenges on the track.
After participating in the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, Hong Le returned to the welcoming arms of her parents and teammates at Phu Cat airport (Binh Dinh).
Try to win medals to have money to help parents
Hong Le (born in 1998) was born into a farming family in the martial arts land of Binh Dinh. Due to difficult circumstances, her parents and siblings all worked as hired laborers, struggling to make a living. As the fifth daughter in a family of six children, only Hong Le followed the path of professional sports.
As a secondary school student, Le won a prize in a running competition at school. She was sent to participate in district and provincial competitions. The outstanding achievements of this petite girl caught the attention of teachers at the Binh Dinh Province Sports Training and Competition Center.
“ At that time, my parents did not agree to let me pursue a professional sports career. The family's economy was very difficult, my parents and siblings all had to work. Therefore, my parents wanted me to stay home to take care of my elderly grandmother, ” Hong Le recalled.
But with all her passion for sports and the desire to help her family escape poverty, Hong Le convinced her parents. The 15-year-old female student packed her bags and went to Quy Nhon to study high school and participate in athletics training with her teachers.
Nguyen Thi Oanh and Pham Hong Le won the first two positions in the 10,000m race.
After 11 years of athletics, Hong Le has won 1 gold medal, 4 silver medals and 2 bronze medals at the SEA Games. In addition, she holds the record for the women's 10,000m race with a time of 34'01"59 at the 2021 National Athletics Championship, along with many achievements at domestic competitions.
Having won many medals, the "steel rose" of Vietnamese athletics used her prize money to help her parents pay off their debts. As soon as she received the prize money from her first bronze medal at the 29th SEA Games in 2017, together with her savings, Le helped her parents build a solid house in her hometown of Binh Dinh.
Since then, every year, the petite girl tries to achieve the highest results to bring money home to help her parents pay off their debt.
Le is very frugal in spending, saving every penny of her allowance. “ Apart from the things I need for training and competition, I limit my shopping and eating out. If I spend 200,000 VND on food, my parents will eat for 5 days at home. So before spending, I always consider whether it is necessary or not ,” Le confided.
“ I used the bonus money from the gold medal at the 31st SEA Games to pay off the last debt to my parents ,” Hong Le recounted.
Hong Le's boyfriend commented: "On the racetrack, she is cold, persistent and very brave. In real life, Hong Le is very feminine and emotional."
Clean up the money to treat injuries
The petite 1m52 tall girl confided: " I just hope to recover from injury so I can practice and compete to the best of my ability. I am a very progressive person. I am never satisfied with my achievements and always want to achieve higher achievements ."
On the track, Hong Le thought about the hard training days, her family, and her coach to try to reach the finish line as quickly as possible. But the 9X girl was unlucky to suffer from prolonged and continuous injuries, and she also suffered from iliotibial band enthesitis syndrome.
“ I have spent a lot of money to treat this chronic disease. That amount is certainly more than the silver medal bonus I will receive. I spend very frugally, but to take care of my health and help me train, I am willing to spend money ,” Le said.
Hong Le and Minh Hong, 2 people met each other when attending the National Sports Festival in 2018.
SEA Games 32 has ended, Hong Le returned to the welcoming arms of the coaches in Binh Dinh and continued to practice. Up to this point, Le still does not know the total bonus for her recent achievement.
Nguyen Minh Hong (born in 1997, Nam Dinh) - Hong Le's boyfriend, also a former professional athlete, said: " She just won 2 silver medals at the 32nd SEA Games. Maybe with more than 700 athletes participating, she is not outstanding. People only pay attention to the gold medals. But to me, she has tried and made constant efforts despite her long-term injuries. After all, she fought with all her might for the country's flag. Although Le did not stand on the highest podium, I am always proud of her ."
Photo: Character provided
(Source: Vietnamnet)
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