Athletes in Da Nang are gearing up for the Asian Games (ASIAD) 19 slated for mid-September in China. To achieve high results at the sports event, the city's sports industry creates the best conditions for athletes to effectively train.

Tran Le Tan Dat (left) is the high hope of the city's sports sector at ASIAD 19 in Karate category. Photo: P.N

To be held from September 16 - October 9, ASIAD 19 will see the participation of thousands of coaches and athletes from 45 countries in Asia and Oceania countries, competing in 40 sports for 482 gold medals.

Viet Nam will send a total of 90 coaches and 337 athletes from 31 sports. Among them, Da Nang has two coaches Tran Van Long (Canoeing) and Tong Huu Dung (Rowing), along with 6 athletes: Taekwondo martial artist Tran Thi Anh Tuyet, Karate martial artist Tran Le Tien Dat, canoe rower Hien Nam, and rowing athletes Pham Thi Hue, Nguyen Lam Kieu Diem and Tran Thi Kiet.

Pham Thi Hue is known as the "golden face" in rowing. She has been called up for the national team for many years.

During her playing career, Pham Thi Hue has achieved many impressive achievements. Specifically, at SEA Games 31, she did not disappoint Vietnamese fans when she and her teammates won 3 gold medals in rowing in all 3 participating categories of the women’s heavyweight single sculls with 2 oars, the women’s heavyweight double sculls with one oar and the women's heavyweight quadruple sculls.

Additionally, she won one gold and one silver medals at SEA Games 26 in 2011, two gold at SEA Games 28 in 2015, a silver at SEA Games 30 in 2019, and three silvers at the recent three ASIADs. She also won tickets to the Olympics twice.

Pham Thi Hue unveiled that she will compete in the women’s quadruple and octuple sculls events at ASIAD 19. At present, she and two Da Nang rowers Nguyen Lam Kieu Diem and Tran Thi Kiet, plus other members of the national rowing team, are training hard at the Thuy Nguyen Sailing Training Center in Hai Phong City. Training content changes with each stage to ensure the best physical fitness for athletes when entering competition.

“Although there are many difficulties and challenges ahead, my teammates and I will try our best and hope to repeat our achievement of winning silver medals at ASIAD 19” she said.

Along with Pham Thi Hue, Da Nang pins high hope on canoe rower Hien Nam at ASIAD 19. He consecutively won national championships in many competitions in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

In 2022, Hien Nam was an outstanding athlete of Da Nang when he won 2 gold medals in Canoeing in men’s C2-1000m and C4 -1000m events at SEA Games 31.

At SEA Games 32, Hien Nam competed in traditional boat racing which was not his sport of strength, but he won 2 gold medals and 1 silver.

According to Hien Nam, his achievements in his career are the motivation for him to move forward. ASIAD 19 is a large continental playground, so the competitiveness will be higher than that in SEA Games.

However, he and his teammates are trying their best to break their limits and aim for the highest goals.

In Taekwondo and Karate categories, two martial artists Tran Thi Anh Tuyet and Tran Le Tan Dat also prepare carefully for ASIAD 19.

To prepare for the upcoming sports event , Anh Tuyet and Taekwondo team members had a training trip for more than a month in South Korea. Meanwhile, Tan Dat and other members of the Karate team were sent to Japan for a short-time training course.

According to Mr. Tran Do Quang, Deputy Director in charge of the Da Nang Sports and Gymnastics Athletes Training Center, athletes and coaches who are summoned to the national team in preparation for ASIAD 19 are typical faces of high-performance sports.

The center creates the best conditions for the athletes and coaches to take part in training courses at both home and abroad in preparation for the forthcoming sports event.

Reporting by PHI NONG - Translating by M.DUNG