From left: Vietnamese weighlifter Hoang Thi Duyen, boxer Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi and footballer Cu Thi Huynh Nhu in action (Photo: VNA)However, more than once, the sportswomen’s career choice has been thetarget of negative comments regarding their physique, femininity, or maritalstatus, from people who still hold prejudices against women performing in whatare considered male-dominated territories.
There are times when some sports are presented as either masculine orfeminine, aligning with traditional expectations of men and women, which makesit difficult for women to break through gender barriers and participate insports deemed “masculine”.
Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi was Vietnam’s first World Boxing Organisation (WBO)champion, after winning a WBO belt in the Republic of Korea on October 23,2021.
She made history in doing so, and it was a fitting gift aftercelebrating her 25th birthday a day earlier.
After her arm was raised in victory, Nhi turned to the camera andshouted “I’m from Vietnam!”
At that moment, she wanted everyone watching to know that she isVietnamese and that Vietnamese boxers are capable of making it to the top.
Boxer Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi celebrates her WBO Title victory in Ansan, Republic of Korea (Photo: VNA)Her inspiration is Luu Thi Duyen, who was the first Vietnamese femaleboxer to win a gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games, in 2013.
“I have had a burning passion to become the first Vietnamese boxer toachieve an international title, and I did that when I became the first WBOchampion from Vietnam,” said Nhi, who views herself as tenacious, resolute, andhard-working.
Boxing has received more attention in Vietnam in recent years, followingthe success of a number of Vietnamese boxers in the international arena, sheexplained.
“I am truly delighted that I am able to make a modest contribution toits development.”
Nhi trained at the Cocky Buffalo club in HCM City to prepare for her WBO title fight in 2021 (Photo courtesy of Cocky Buffalo)Nhi is persistent and willing to go through the mill to become aprofessional athlete. Many people, despite their great love for sport andattempt to follow the profession path, have to give up for various reasons.
Her family and friends are all supportive of her career choice anddecisions, Nhi said. There are always those, however, thatwill ask her about marriage or “who would dare take you as a wife” given she isinvolved in “such a dangerous sport”.
“I don’t feel pressured by such comments,” she said.
And female athletes are always willing to give their best atcompetitions, even during “that time of the month”.
Hoang Thi Duyen was among 18 athletes representing Vietnam at the 2020Tokyo Olympic Games, despite a knee injury not fully healing at the time.
When weightlifters suffer injury, they continue to train using the partsof their body that are still in good shape. They then return to full trainingonce they have 70 percent recovered from the injury.
When “that time of the month” comes around, the Olympian said, it takesa toll on her body and her strength. Weightlifting requires strength in theback and abdomen in particular, areas where she feels the most discomfort atthat time.
Female weightlifters can take one day off from training if they feel aneed, but simply must endure the difficulties during competition, doing theirbest and hoping their performance is not overly affected.
Duyen poses for a photo with the Olympic symbol at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Village (Photo courtesy of the weightlifter)Her parents, however, were vehemently against her desire to succeed atthe sport, feeling anxious that she may face various hardships and that herbody would be overly burdened by the nature of the sport.
At first, Duyen hid her daily training routine from her parents, walkingmore than 10km each day along mountain paths to reach the training centre.After noting she was coming home later and later and that her skin was becomingtanned, they soon discovered her secret.
She had to seek help from her coaches to convince her parents, and workshard to succeed and prove her determination and talent.
The weightlifter during a training session (Photo: vnexpress.net)“Now I can support myself and my family thanks to my career,” the25-year-old said proudly during a telephone interview with the Vietnam NewsAgency a day after she bagged a gold medal in the women’s 59kg category at theNational Weightlifting Championship 2021.
The Olympian said she can’t help but feel a little hurt when people makenegative comments about her career choice and physique.
“But such words have never affected the decisions I have made. They arepart of the sport I chose.”
“In the future, I hope to contribute to developing the sport ofweightlifting. I want to become a coach and pass on what I have learned andachieved to the younger generation,” she said in a determined tone.
Harsh remarks don’t make these sportswomen shy away from the sports theylove. Rather, they boost their determination to be themselves and be confident intheir choices.
Cu Thi Huynh Nhu, captain of the national women’s football team, hasdecided to put her career first for the time being, explaining that she haslearned from her older colleagues that the footballing path is littered withthorns following marriage.
She is also set to complete her studies at the Ho Chi Minh CityPedagogical University.
Forward and captain of the national women's football team Cu Thi Huynh Nhu (Photo: VNA)Nhu is one of the most decorated female footballers in Vietnam, winningthe country’s Women’s Ballon d’Or (Golden Ball) three times, in 2016, 2019 and2020.
“You can only be successful if you are determined to pursue your passionand be devoted to things you love,” she said during a telephone interview.
In addition to decisiveness and strength, agility and flexibility canplay an important role in football, she believes.
Born in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh, Nhu began herprofessional football career in 2008, when she was in Grade 12. She recalled itwas “an important year that had a major impact on my future” - a sentiment nodoubt shared by many other students in Vietnam on the cusp of graduating andmoving on to the next stage of their life.
“I chose to be a professional player because of my love and passion forthe game,” she said.
That a person's passion can help put food on the table is a wonderfulthing, Nhu added.
“It would be hard for me to play well if I had off-field financialdistractions and couldn’t give everything I had to football,” she explained.
She lives by the motto “I succeed because I never hesitate”, she said ina clear and delightful voice.
Nhu won the Women’s Ballon d’Or (Golden Ball) of Vietnam in 2020 (Photo courtesy of the organiser)She and her teammates on the national team are now training to preparefor the final round of the 2022 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s AsianCup, to kick off on January 20 in India.
The Vietnamese team is 32nd in the FIFA world rankings and sixth in theAFC, with the dream of qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the firsttime ever still alive.
Describing herself as an independent and cordial person, together withher on-field skills, Nhu has worked hard to grow into her team leadership roleand earn the trust of her teammates, as football is a team sport.
Nhi, Duyen and Nhu are among those who have helped bring sporting gloryto Vietnam and promote the country’s image to international friends.
With valour, determination and passion, they have risen above thechallenges and the opposition to succeed in their chosen sport, encouragingothers, especially women, to follow their dreams, unlock their potential, andput their talents to best use.
They have also helped tackle gender norms and change mindsets on whatwomen can and can’t do, contributing to the development of sport in particularand Vietnamese women at large./.
| With the efforts made in recent years, Vietnam has posted many achievements in gender equality, seeing it recognised by the world as one of the 10 best countries in implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 on promoting gender equality and empowering all women and girls. |
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