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| The leg attack competition event is Hue Vovinam athletes’ strength |
Youth strength affirmed
The 29th National Vovinam Championship 2023 took place from 10 to 14 October with the participation of 450 athletes, and coaches from 36 units across the country. Athletes competed for 48 sets of medals, including 26 kumite weight classes and 22 kata events. In kumite, there were 14 weight classes for men (from 45kg to over 92kg), and 12 weight classes for women (from 42kg to 75kg).
Aside from evaluating the coaching and training of athletes in provinces and cities over the past year, the country's largest Vovinam tournament was also an opportunity for experts to find quality athletes to add to the national Vovinam team in preparation for the Vovinam World Championship 2023 in late November in Ho Chi Minh City. The 29th National Vovinam Championship 2023 ended with first place belonging to the Ho Chi Minh City team and witnessed young kickboxers creating surprises, bringing a breath of fresh air to Vietnam Vovinam.
One of the new breaths of fresh air was Thua Thien Hue Vovinam Athletes Team, entering the tournament with 4 athletes registered in 2 events: leg attack and team kata. In the leg attack event, Thua Thien Hue athletes brilliantly brought home one bronze, ranking behind Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho. The four award-winning athletes included Nguyen Bui Nhu Huy, Duong Van Quoc, Do Thanh Tam, and Mai Ngoc Tai.
Coach Le Ba Thuong shared, “4 athletes did the same exam, coordinated well, and supported one another a lot to achieve the best results during the competition. They all maintained their form, showed their competitive skill and spirit, and handled situations on the mat very well.”
Nguyen Bui Nhu Huy and Duong Van Quoc are currently 2 of 16 young athletes being trained at Thua Thien Hue Vovinam team. Last year, Duong Van Quoc scooped 2 golds, 2 silvers, 1 bronze in the Central Region tournament, and 2 silvers in the national championship. This athlete is quite outstanding because he can compete in both kumite and kata. Nguyen Bui Nhu Huy also had 1 gold, and 1 bronze in the Central Region championship and 2 silvers in the national championship and is an athlete with many years of training and competition experience.
Among the remaining faces, Tan Loi, Tan Phong, Dinh Nghia, Ngoc Tai, and Dan Huy... are also outstanding and potential athletes when they all clinched golds at the Central Region championship and silvers at the national youth championship.
Towards many national mats
It was not until 2007 that Vovinam was born in Thua Thien Hue in association with the martial arts master Le Ba Thuong. When first established, Vovinam in Thua Thien Hue had only 2 coaches and 50 students. In 2017, with strong growth in quality, quantity, and movement, the Vovinam Association of Thua Thien Hue Province was officially established. Thua Thien Hue Vovinam Association, currently a member of the Vietnam Vovinam Federation, has developed widely with 16 clubs in districts, towns, and cities in the province.
12 years after its birth, in 2019, the Thua Thien Hue Vovinam Association hosted the intermediate exam in Thua Thien Hue Province. Although young, Vovinam Thua Thien Hue boasted an admirable collection of medals. In total, from 2010 to 2019, Vovinam Thua Thien Hue won 2 golds, 8 silvers, and 42 bronzes at the national and regional tournaments.
At the National Vovinam Youth Championship 2020, 7 athletes participated and won 1 gold and 1 bronze. At the National Vovinam Youth Championship 2022, 1 silver and 4 bronze medals were scooped. In early 2023, the Vovinam Thua Thien Hue team was established and for the first time competed in the 29th National Vovinam Championship.
Towards 2024 with 4 tournaments including the national youth championship, national strong team championship, national championship, and Central Region championship, the Thua Thien Hue Vovinam team is actively training. From now until late 2023, the team will focus on correcting techniques, improving some difficult movements in kata, and fostering physical strength in kumite competition; creating conditions for athletes to compete against movement students to accumulate more experience in kumite competition.
Early 2024 will be the time for reinforcing physical strength, perfecting movement techniques, and dividing competition events for each athlete; to participate in professional training and interacting with teams from neighboring provinces to gain more competition experience.
Confident in the Vietnamese martial art he has devotedly built for his Thua Thien Hue homeland, coach Le Ba Thuong was also beset with worries when sharing the difficulties. According to him, because the team was established in early 2023, the athletes had no opportunities to play in many tournaments. The athletes belong to the province's talented group, so the force remains young, inexperienced, and immature in competition. The team has only one coach and therefore encounters many difficulties in implementing drills. More than ever, we are eager for attention and investment from the local leaders so that Vovinam Thua Thien Hue can advance by leaps and bounds.