Tien Minh, icone du badminton vietnamien

Nguyên Tiên Minh entered badminton world history by becoming the player with the most participation in the World Championships. With 13 appearances, he overtook the living legend of his sport, the Chinese Lin Dan.

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During his career, Tiên Minh won many titles and achieved honorable rankings that few Vietnamese badminton players will be able to achieve in the future.

Born in 1983, the player is the symbol and pride of badminton in the country, an example to follow, not only in his discipline but also for all young athletes.

An ageless player

At 39, an age at which many badminton players have already retired to have time with their family or turn to coaching, Tiên Minh still does not want to stop and continues to work with passion. The player from Ho Chi Minh City does not seem to show signs of “old age”, often dominating national competitions. He was crowned national individual champion 11 times in a row. He carries the country’s hopes in international competitions.

Already in the Top 5 in the world, medalist at the World Championships, Asian and Southeast Asian Championships and crowned five times at the Vietnam Open tournament (the biggest international tournament in Vietnam), Tiên Minh is really the symbol and pride of Vietnamese badminton over the past two decades. For a professional sportsman, it is difficult to qualify for the world championships, but Tiên Minh has done so 13 times, an absolute record in the history of world badminton. Without passion, without effort and above all without the spirit of competition, Tiên Minh would never have been able to do it.

Facing opponents who are more than ten years younger than him, Tiên Minh always competes with the utmost determination, daring to play offensively and fighting relentlessly. During the semi-final match of the 31st SEA Games, played last May in Vietnam, against the Singaporean Loh Kean Yew, the reigning world champion, endowed with an exceptional physique and physical strength and 15 years his junior, Tiên Minh played very well. He lost only narrowly at the end of the 3^e set. He made life hard for the new world champion who had to put himself down to overcome the Vietnamese player and win after nearly two hours of play.

Nguyên Tiên Minh competing at the SEA Games 31 played last May in Vietnam.

Photo : VNA/CVN

Last year, Tiên Minh also entered the history of Vietnamese sport by becoming the player with the most participation in the Olympic Games with four editions. In the world, few people have been able to do this.

Vietnam’s No. 1 badminton player was hailed by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for his perseverance at the Tokyo Olympics: “Still extremely persistent at the age of 38. Tiên Minh still shows no signs of old age despite his age. He is the oldest swimmer at this year’s Olympics. He first appeared in Beijing in 2008, when current world No. 1 Kento Momota was just 13 years old. What longevity! Let’s raise a racket for him!”.

Good example for the younger generation

Vietnam has many famous athletes for their ability to push their limits, but Tiên Minh is another story. Born into a wealthy family, he was exposed to badminton at the age of 10. Thanks to the support of his family, Tiên Minh had the opportunity to go abroad to compete, accumulate experience, develop professionally and succeed in his sport.

But that’s only part of his story. What best determines Tiên Minh is his passion, his taste for effort, his perseverance, and his desire to conquer. His morphology is not ideal for the practice of badminton, his physical strength is not exceptional, but on the other hand, he moves quickly and has very good reflexes. He has great determination, he always plays at 100% and always wants to win regardless of his opponent.

“In my opinion, there is a very specific point in Tiên Minh that no other Vietnamese player has, and that is passion and endurance in training and competition. He spends a lot of time practicing, especially when preparing for tournaments”commented Dang Anh Dang, head of badminton discipline, under the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City, the management unit of Tiên Minh.

“I appreciate his professionalism. As he is no longer in his prime, he attaches great importance to nutrition and rest. Therefore, despite being 39 years old, Tiên Minh is still able to participate in international competitions”he added.

Tiên Minh said he wanted to continue playing high-level sport. Previously, this player had already thought of ending his professional career to turn to coaching. But as badminton runs through his veins and he still has the passion and the desire to contribute, he couldn’t stop.

“Badminton is an important part of my life. As long as I can hold a racquet and get on the court, I’m happy”a partage Tien Minh.

Phuong Nga/CVN