Athlete Nguyen Thi Oanh celebrates her victory at the 30th Sea Games in the Philippines in December 10, 2019.

Oanh crossed the finish line and dropped to the ground, exhausted. Minutes later, she took the national flag from her coach to celebrate her 3,000m steeplechase victory and burst into tears. 

“In the previous 2 rounds, I had to undergo doping tests which cost me a lot of time. In the final event, I was nearly exhausted,” said Oanh.

Oanh has had a great passion for sports from an early age. She took part in many tournaments in secondary school. After being a runner-up at Bac Giang province’s track and field tournament in 2010, Oanh was called up to the Bac Giang athletics team. She trained very hard and became a national track and field champion at a very young age.

In late 2014, Oanh was diagnosed with weak kidneys. Her body became swollen with oedema. She couldn’t train any more and underwent treated in the hospital. But her passion for sports prompted her to run again and she went on to win a number of gold medals for Vietnam’s track and field team.

“We were so worried while Oanh was suffering from kidney disease. Our family encouraged her to overcome her disease,” Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, Oanh’s mother, recalled her struggle.

It was Oanh’s great will and hard work that made possible her achievements. Oanh said she has lots of plans for next year, and hopes for a chance to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.