Hai Duong Sports reaches out to the international arena

Every era has talent.

Hai Duong has long been the cradle of many international-class athletes, bringing glory to the country's sports.

Since 1959, names in the sports world began to appear such as famous players Le The Tho, Pham Ngoc Khanh, Phung Manh Ngoc, who were the first football players to compete internationally; swimmer Nguyen Chi Lap won a bronze medal at the Asian swimming tournament in 1963; outstanding table tennis player of the whole North Nguyen Ngoc Phan; athlete Hoang Thi Trinh won the championship in 5 sports of running, jumping, swimming, shooting, martial arts of the whole North in 1967...

In the later stages, Hai Duong continued to have names participating in the Olympic arena such as the "golden girl" weightlifter Nguyen Thi Thiet or shooter Tran Quoc Cuong, most recently archer Nguyen Hoang Phi Vu...

At world and Asian championships, Hai Duong athletes also continuously made their mark with gold medals won by Tran Dinh Nam and Le Sy Kien (pencak silat), or Pham Thi Thu and Le Thi Thanh Van (diving), adding to the achievements of Hai Duong sports.

Later athletes continued to contribute by participating in training, inspiring and imparting experience to the next generation, such as shooter Tran Quoc Cuong, currently the coach of the national shooting team...

Former boxer Vu The Hoang, currently head of the pencak silat department of the provincial Sports Training, Coaching and Competition Center, said: "After retiring, becoming a coach is the shortest way for us to keep our passion for the profession and continue to contribute to the province's sports. Not only me but all the other coaches of the center are very proud of the generations of students who have achieved many achievements in the international arena."

Currently, Hai Duong owns a large-scale athlete training system with 558 athletes in 28 sports, of which 189 athletes have reached national and international levels, including 4 international masters, 72 masters, 6 reserve masters and 107 level I athletes.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tu, Director of the Provincial Sports Training, Coaching and Competition Center, the center's coaching staff of 52 people, most of whom have grown up as athletes and received intensive training at prestigious sports universities, are an important factor in improving the quality of training. Their passion, experience and responsibility have contributed to creating a generation of talented athletes, always ready to conquer new challenges.

In recent years, Hai Duong has focused on improving the quality of selection, expanding the scale of training and investing heavily in Olympic sports such as shooting, fencing, table tennis, rowing, diving, and pencak silat.

Although facilities are limited and many sports do not have a fixed training location, these difficulties cannot defeat the spirit of overcoming difficulties and the strong will of the athletes, which has helped them achieve outstanding achievements.

Old bamboo, new shoots grow

The SEA Games is always an important arena for provincial and municipal sports to affirm their position. In the last two SEA Games, Hai Duong athletes have continuously brought home excellent results.

At the 31st SEA Games (in 2022, in Vietnam), Hai Duong athletes won a total of 11 gold medals, 7 silver medals and 5 bronze medals. In particular, 3 records were broken, further affirming the superior strength of Vietnamese sports in the region.

At the 32nd SEA Games (in 2023, in Cambodia), 13 Hai Duong athletes all won medals with a total of 7 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 6 bronze medals. The athletes continued to break 4 records, demonstrating their class and steadfast competitive spirit.

Success at the SEA Games is not only the pride of Hai Duong sports but also contributes to the golden record of achievements of Vietnamese sports in Southeast Asia.

In regional competitions, Hai Duong athletes have also achieved many successes in international tournaments. In 2022, at the World Cup Diving Championship and Youth Championship, Hai Duong athletes brought home 3 gold medals and 2 silver medals. At the Asian Rowing Championship, they won 1 gold medal and 1 bronze medal.

In 2023, Hai Duong athletes continued to win gold medals at tournaments such as the Asian Diving Championship, Asian Youth Diving Championship, Southeast Asian Youth Athletics Championship and Asian Rowing Championship.

In 2024, Hai Duong made its mark at 12 international tournaments, with 2 gold medals at the World Cup Fins Diving Championship and Youth Championship, and 1 gold medal at the World Youth Championship.

The king sport also left many strong impressions with outstanding contributions to the national team. Names such as Nguyen Van Toan, Vu Van Thanh, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Nguyen Tien Linh... are all the pride of Dong province, when they became indispensable factors in the Vietnamese team's jersey.

Despite many great achievements, Hai Duong sports still face many challenges. Training facilities are limited, equipment for athletes does not really meet the needs...

Hai Duong aims to continue improving the quality of training and expanding the scale of key and spearhead sports. At the same time, the province also focuses on developing international cooperation programs, sending athletes abroad to compete and gain experience.

The achievements that Hai Duong sports have achieved in recent times are clear evidence of the right investment and the spirit of overcoming difficulties of athletes and coaches. With a solid foundation and strategic vision, Hai Duong promises to continue to reach far in international arenas in the coming time.