Nguyen Thi Phuong puts on a gold medal-winning performance at the 31st SEA Games last May in Hanoi. Phuong will defend her title in the next two weeks in Cambodia. (Photo: VNA) According to Vu Son Ha, an official from the Vietnam Sports Administration’sKarate Department, the team has been working tirelessly to ensure they meettheir goal of four gold medals.
This is no small feat, and the kata athletes will need to be at the top oftheir game if they are to do their bit.
One athlete who is determined to rise to the challenge is Nguyen Thi Phuong,the reigning champion in both the women's individual and team kata events.
While she knows that defending her titles won't be easy, she is fully committedto giving it her all and making her country proud.
“My teammates and I work hard every day to defend our titles,” said Phuong.
“My biggest rival is still an Indonesian athlete (Krisda Putri Aprilia). LastGames, I was better than her in technique but not as good as her innerstrength. So I have to focus a lot on this matter.
“At the recent Southeast Asian Championship last month, we saw strong threatsfrom Indonesian rivals as usual. But there was an athlete from the Philippineswith good speed and technique. She was ‘imported’ from Japan. She will be atough rival at the 32nd SEA Games.”
The kata team is under coach Nguyen Hoang Ngan, a former world champion whoearned many SEA Games titles.
“Honestly, Vietnam are better than other teams in terms of technique,"said Phuong. "Currently, Ngan focused on improving our fitness and innerstrength so that we could upgrade our performance’s difficulty.”
“I believe that our rivals also prepare really well for this May’s Games. So wemust perfect our skills to get the highest result, defending our position.”
Luu Thi Thu Uyen, who has won three SEA Games in a row in the team event, said:“We learnt a lot from the recent regional championship when we won the teamtitle. The experience will help us to compete better in the 32nd SEA Games”.
She said winning over strong rivals was a part of the job. On the mat, she hasto overcome herself to perform best, before thinking about beating her rivals.
She believed that Indonesia was still the arch-rival for Vietnam, but theunderstanding and union between the three ‘sisters’ and teammates would helpthem to win.
The team's youngest member, Nguyen Ngoc Tram, is excited about her second SEAGames.
"Last year, I was a newbie," said Tram. "I was honoured butnervous when competing in the first SEA Games. I was lucky to win gold togetherwith my seniors.”
“This year, I have integrated well with them. Our performance has gotten betterand better. I know defending the title is difficult, but we are all determinedand focused on ensuring our mission success.”
Coach Ngan has watched her athletes closely, correcting their moves and askingthem to control their breathing to strike harder and faster.
“I do not create pressure on them that would not make my job done well,"said Ngan. "I think it’s better to help them feel that they are developingdaily. Being confident and feeling strong will make them the best.”
“I have been on the coaching board for three SEA Games. We did a good job inthe previous editions. With our good preparation, I hope we will remain on topthis time.”
Karate will be held at the Chroy Changvar International Convention andExhibition Centre from May 6-8 in Phnom Penh./.
VNA
