Shooter Pham Quang Huy: A 'wandering' childhood and an interesting passion

At the age of two, he followed his parents to Nhon to train and live with the national shooting team. Passionate about skateboarding and hip-hop dancing, that is the portrait of the 19th Asiad champion - shooter Pham Quang Huy.

Shooter Pham Quang Huy's upcoming goal is to stand on the highest podium of the Olympics - Photo: NGUYEN KHANH

On the night of October 1, the Vietnamese shooting team returned home after participating in the 19th Asiad. At 9:00 a.m. on October 2, at the shooting range of the National Sports Training Center in Hanoi (Nhon), the 19th Asiad champion Pham Quang Huy had an exclusive interview with Tuoi Tre.

For the first time since winning the Asian Games gold medal, Quang Huy shares about his youth, interesting passions and his love for shooting.

The whole family is shooters

On September 28, shooter Pham Quang Huy (27 years old, Hai Phong) created an earthquake when he unexpectedly won the gold medal in the men's 10m air pistol event at the 19th Asian Games. With a score of 240.5, Quang Huy defeated shooter Lee Won Ho (Korea) in the final round to win the first gold medal for Vietnamese shooting at the Asian Games since shooting participated in the Asian Games in 1982. This is also the only gold medal of the 19th Asian Games for the Vietnamese sports delegation up to this point.

Pham Quang Huy is the son of the famous shooter Pham Cao Son. Mr. Son is a senior generation of Olympic champion Hoang Xuan Vinh, who won more than 10 SEA Games gold medals. Huy's mother is also a national rifle shooter - Ms. Dang Thi Hang. Huy's younger brother is also a shooter, having won high achievements in national youth shooting competitions.

The men's 10m air pistol event in which Huy won the gold medal at the 19th Asian Games was also the event in which his teacher - Coach Hoang Xuan Vinh - won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Being a child of a family tradition, being trained in the first shots by his parents, and then becoming a student of the Olympic champion when he grew up is an interesting story for Huy.

Talking to Tuoi Tre, Huy said he followed his parents to Nhon when he was 2 years old when they went to a national team training camp. When his parents went away to compete, he was sent to stay at the homes of national athletes, coaches, and shooting referees. When he grew up a little, his parents sent him back to Hai Phong for relatives to take care of while they were busy competing. That's why Huy humorously calls his childhood "adventurous".

Also from the years following his parents, Huy became familiar with guns and fell in love with them without realizing it. However, Huy did not rush to pursue his parents' career but instead focused on skateboarding, hip hop and was a famous "player" among students in Hai Phong. It was not until he was 16 that Huy embarked on a professional shooting career.

Pham Quang Huy and two teammates won the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol team event at the 19th Asiad - Photo: QUY LUONG

Rejected by the national team because of "disrespecting" the coach

Pham Quang Huy was called up to the national team in 2019 and was guided by expert Park Chung Gun. At that time, he practiced with "uncles" Hoang Xuan Vinh and Tran Quoc Cuong - the top shooters in Vietnam, the same generation as his father. However, after being called up to the team, he drove the Korean expert crazy.

Huy said: "When I first joined the team, I was very "immature", often arguing with the coach. When coach Park told me to do this, I didn't listen, and spoke harshly because I thought I was right. Coach Park comes from Korea - a place with a much more developed shooting culture than Vietnam. He is very technical, so there were many things he said that I didn't understand or thought I was right.

After a year of arguing with the teacher, he was almost helpless because I did not listen. The national shooting team therefore sent me back to Hai Phong. I went back to Hai Phong to practice for 3 months and kept thinking. Why am I so passionate about shooting, I have the opportunity but I can't grasp it?

At that time, the head coach of the national shooting team, Nguyen Thi Nhung, saw something in me. Ms. Nhung believed that I could do it and gave me another chance to return to the team. At that time, I changed, determined to prove to my teachers my love for shooting."

Former head coach Nguyen Thi Nhung was the one who discovered Huy's special qualities and patiently gave him a second chance to return to the national team. Over the past years, Huy has been training diligently with expert Park Chung Gun and recently coach Hoang Xuan Vinh. The 19th Asiad gold medal is a sweet gift he sent to his family, teachers and the Fatherland.

The Hai Phong boy said his dream is to win a ticket to the Olympics and stand on the highest podium. That is also the dream that his father has not been able to fulfill, Huy will continue to strive to write it.

Quang Huy was awarded nearly 1 billion VND

Today, October 3, Quang Huy will return to Hai Phong to spend a short time with his family and attend the local honoring ceremony. Immediately after that, he will return to the shooting range to continue training in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifying round. Huy's future and dreams are wide open ahead with a steadfast will, patience, and rare humility.

With the prestigious Asiad gold medal, Huy was awarded a total of nearly 1 billion VND from the central budget, Hai Phong, and the Vietnamese sports delegation.

Tuoitre.vn