Nguyen Tat Duy Loi defeated local player Thanakrit Lejyim 2:1 in the final to claim the boys’ singles title at the international junior badminton tournament in Thailand, vietnam.vn reported.
The 18-year-old entered the tournament as the top seed and ranked No. 28 in the junior world rankings. Throughout the event, he overcame challenges against competitors from Malaysia and Thailand to sweep his matches and secure first place.
In August, Nguyen Tat Duy Loi won the boys’ singles title at the international junior tournament in the Philippines after defeating Leong Di Shan of Malaysia 2:1, according to vietnam.vn.
Born in Hue in 2008, that August victory marked his first international title. The win served as a primary motivator for him to increase his training intensity.
Nguyen Tat Duy Loi is a first-year sports science student at Hue University. He previously trained alongside older players on the Hue city badminton team, but after they moved away, he was left without regular training partners or access to major tournaments.
To continue his development, he joined the Lam Dong team. I train mostly alone and participate in tournaments outside the national federation at my own expense, such as the youth championship in Thailand,
Nguyen Tat Duy Loi said, as reported by vietnam.vn.
When several international players withdrew at the last minute, organizers notified him on the evening of September 7 for a match scheduled at noon the next day. He traveled immediately from Hue to Ho Chi Minh City to compete.
Nguyen Tat Duy Loi models his career path after mentor Nguyen Tien Minh, who won his first national championship at age 19 and went on to claim a bronze medal at the 2013 World Championships alongside four Olympic appearances, vietnam.vn reported.
Following his title run in Thailand, Nguyen Tat Duy Loi is scheduled to compete at the National Sports Games in Ho Chi Minh City from November 15 to 25. He aims to secure a medal for Lam Dong province as he pursues a long-term professional career in badminton.
Earlier coverage: Nguyen Tat Duy Loi Wins Thailand Junior Badminton International Title
