That was the first sentence Quang Huy - the shooter who won the gold medal in the men's 10m air pistol individual event - uttered when we asked him what he wanted to say to the people watching him at home.
Pham Quang Huy and his teammates in the men's 10m air pistol event - Photo: HUY DANG
At 11am on September 28, I took a taxi to travel 50km from the Hangzhou Asian Games press center to the Fuyang Yinhua sports center - where the shooting competition took place.
At the 19th Asian Games, in a city of 16,000 square kilometers like Hangzhou, traveling between locations with a distance of 30km, 50km or 70km is very normal.
A premonition of a miracle
There are some cheaper ways to get around, like the subway or the bus. But time just doesn't allow it.
The Vietnamese delegation entered the competition day on September 28 with high expectations for swimming, gymnastics, fencing... But for shooting, this is predicted to be a "sad" competition day because there are no outstanding, experienced faces competing.
But no Vietnamese fan can forget the historic moment of Hoang Xuan Vinh at the 2016 Olympics. Shooting is famous for being a sport with many elements of surprise, luck and breakthrough.
So, even though we had decided not to go to Fuyang Yinhua, we still kept an eye on the performances of Pham Quang Huy , Phan Cong Minh and Lai Cong Minh. Surprisingly, these three young shooters achieved an unbelievable feat.
The fairly even performance of Quang Huy and two boys with the same name Cong Minh helped Vietnam win the bronze medal in the men's 10m air pistol team event (calculated based on the total individual qualifying scores of all three).
As for Quang Huy, he entered the final in 4th place, only 2 points behind leader Zhang Bowen (China).
At that time, with only half an hour left until the final match would begin, many of us reporters had a premonition of a miracle, like Hoang Xuan Vinh years ago.
Indifferent to everything
Even though I was running at full speed, I only arrived at the 10m final shooting range at Fuyang Yinhua in time to see Quang Huy fire the last shot.
The cheers of the Korean fans (Lee Won Ho was the last man standing in the elimination round in the final with Quang Huy), along with Quang Huy's expressionless face made me think that Vietnam had lost.
But then Hoang Xuan Vinh - who was now standing at the shooting range as the head coach - patted Huy on the shoulder. At this moment, both teacher and student turned to the stands and... laughed.
"I didn't know anything. At that time, I didn't think about anything, just technique and technique. I focused on the target and was numb to everything. Shooting sometimes requires us to be so autistic," the 27-year-old shooter shared backstage.
Those who followed Hoang Xuan Vinh 7 years ago at the 2016 Olympics will be familiar with that image. Even when he won the most valuable gold medal in sports, he just smiled slightly and celebrated slowly.
That historical image now focuses on Pham Quang Huy. Asiad may not be as prominent as the Olympics. But Quang Huy brought home the first gold medal for the Vietnamese shooting team at Asiad - a very prestigious arena.
family tradition
There are countless things worth asking Quang Huy after such a dramatic final match. The first thing worth asking is background information about his family.
Pham Quang Huy is the son of Mr. Pham Cao Son - a monument in the Vietnamese shooting village. If we count all Vietnamese sports, there are few people who have devoted their whole life and family to shooting like Mr. Son.
While still competing, Mr. Son won numerous SEA Games gold medals . After retiring, he continued to coach the national team and then became head of the shooting department in Hai Phong. His wife, Ms. Dang Thi Hang, is also a famous shooter.
"Dad, I did it" - that was the first thing Quang Huy said when we asked him what he wanted to say to the people watching him at home.
Even coach Hoang Xuan Vinh, when talking to us, continuously expressed his thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Pham Cao Son - Dang Thi Hang for passing on the passion for the profession to their talented son.
Of course, the contribution of the teachers cannot be ignored. As mentioned, there are many similarities between Quang Huy and Xuan Vinh, in the gradual elimination shootout in the final. But the most common point between the two of them is that they were both led by a "grandmaster" of the shooting world: Mr. Park Chung Gun.
While everyone was busy celebrating, Mr. Park Chung Gun stood quietly in a corner, placing his hand on the shoulder of his young student Lai Cong Minh. Cong Minh is 24 years old this year, quiet like Quang Huy, and also deserves praise for his contribution to the team's bronze medal.
"They are all excellent. Shooting is a sport that requires a strong mentality. That depends on each individual, I just help them improve their techniques," Park Chung Gun shared humbly.
At the age of 27, Quang Huy's career will be very long, when the smell of gunpowder has permeated his Pham family's blood, and beside him are two "masters" of the shooting village.
Athlete Nguyen Van Khanh Phong shines in gymnastics - Photo: HUY DANG
Fiery competition day
Not only shooting, gymnastics and swimming also made their mark on today's competition day. In the gymnastics rings event, young talent Khanh Phong shone as expected. He scored 14.6 points and won silver, just behind athlete Lan Xingyu of host China.
That same evening, Huy Hoang made a spectacular comeback in the 800m freestyle event, after a regrettable defeat in the 1,500m freestyle race. He achieved a time of 7 minutes 51.44 seconds, excellently surpassing strong opponents such as two Japanese swimmers and a Chinese swimmer to win the bronze medal.
This is also Huy Hoang's third medal at the Asian Games. Although he did not explode like at the 8th Asian Games, Huy Hoang is still the number 1 star of the current Vietnamese swimming team. It is even more exciting when this achievement helps him reach the Olympic A standard, winning a ticket to Paris 2024.
Tuoitre.vn
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