Teen sensation guns for table tennis gold at SEA Games – Sports – Vietnam News | Politics, Business, Economy, Society, Life, Sports

Desk Tennis

Trần Mai Ngọc wins the 2021 Nationwide Desk Tennis Championship on the age of 17, turning into the second youngest champion in historical past. Picture nhandan.vn

Thanh Hà

Trần Mai Ngọc jumped in the air and screamed to have fun her championship level. She had simply turn into the second youngest nationwide champion ever on the age of 17, and proved herself the way forward for Vietnamese desk tennis.

Ngọc has risen via the ranks quicker than coaches deliberate, taking simply eight years to prime the nationwide podium. Now, she can be a key athlete in serving to the nation achieve prime leads to worldwide tournaments.

The upcoming activity of {the teenager} would be the ladies’s single gold on the thirty first Southeast Asian (SEA) Video games in Hà Nội. It’s a title that Việt Nam haven’t received but on the biennial competitors.

Journey to the highest

Born in Bình Dương Province, Ngọc and her twin sister Trần Ngọc Ngà grew to become fatherless after they have been two. They lived in poor situations with their mom, a garment employee.

Trần Mai Ngọc poses with the 2021 Nationwide Desk Tennis Championship trophy. Picture nhandan.vn

Regardless of dwelling a tough life, the mom despatched the women to an area desk tennis membership, which quickly grew to become an abiding ardour for them. They have been then launched to Hà Nội T&T Membership, which supplied free coaching programs for poor junior athletes.

“I had no thought in the event that they have been capable of play desk tennis nevertheless it was Hà Nội T&T’s charity programme so I accepted them,” stated coach Vũ Mạnh Cường.

“The mom and two nine-year-old women travelled to Hà Nội with us. When she returned dwelling, the youngsters cried rather a lot. And we needed to take turns to maintain them. They stayed on the membership, practised with us and visited their dwelling city simply every year. Time flies quick. It has been almost a decade.”

Underneath the three-time SEA Video games champion, the ladies, particularly Ngọc, progressed remarkably and confirmed their expertise in many junior tournaments.

The 15-year-old Ngọc was picked to participate within the nationwide championship in 2019 after her senior Nguyễn Thị Nga, who was defending champion, couldn’t be a part of. The youngest competitor of the match made a formidable debut with three silvers, together with one within the ladies’s singles.

Ngọc’s efficiency was far higher than her coach Cường may have imagined.

Cường stated he knew his darkish horse athlete may do one thing however three silvers in her first nationwide championship was surprising at such a young age.

She was the youngest member of the Việt Nam Group and the youngest competitor on the thirtieth SEA Video games within the Philippines in 2019. 

A 12 months later, she got here first at the Nationwide Greatest Desk Tennis Gamers Event.

In final month’s nationwide championship, Ngọc carried out brilliantly to turn into nationwide champion.

The 17-year-old sailed straight via the early rounds with little issue. Nevertheless, she met a problem in defending champion Mai Hoàng Mỹ Trang who beat Ngọc within the 2019 ultimate. However of their second meet, Ngọc defeated the 12-time winner 4-2 within the quarter-finals.

Trần Mai Ngọc (left) defeats 12-time champion Mai Hoàng Mỹ Trang within the quarter-finals of the 2021 Nationwide Desk Tennis Championship. Picture nhandan.vn

Within the ultimate, Ngọc continued epic efficiency to beat Nguyễn Thuỳ Kiều My 4-0 to take the crown. She is the second youngest champion of the 39-season match, the youngest being Nhan Vị Quân who received when she was 15 in 1988.

Star within the making

“Ngọc has highly effective strokes like males and her serves are robust. Her drives are additionally weapons that may create challenges for each rival,” stated Cường.

Talking to reporters after awarding the gold medal to Ngọc, Phan Anh Tuấn, head of the Desk Tennis Division of the Việt Nam Sport Administration (VSA), stated VSA officers and her membership managers would talk about giving sturdy help for Ngọc to succeed in a prime worldwide stage.

He stated the proficient athlete would have a overseas coach to raise her. Ngọc, who has simply completed a two-week coaching course in Hungary, will additionally get pleasure from extra worldwide programs and tournaments to sharpen her abilities.

“Ngọc has proven her sturdy progress. She is younger however chooses an offensive fashion, which helps her overcome sturdy opponents. Her championship title resulted from diligence and robust will,” stated Tuấn.

“She is skinny and has good footwork, which allows her to succeed in the ball faster and extra simply that in flip helps her play a higher number of strokes. Nevertheless, she has some disadvantages. Her forehand drives are good however her backhand must be improved.” 

Trần Mai Ngọc celebrates a successful level throughout the ladies’s singles ultimate match of the Nationwide Desk Tennis Championship on December 4. Picture nhandan.vn

He added that {the teenager} was a nationwide hope at this Might’s SEA Video games, the place the hosts anticipate to earn a minimum of two golds.

Two years in the past after successful silver, Ngọc stated she couldn’t imagine her eyes even when holding the medal in her arms. “It’s a miracle and I lived in glad feeling for a lot of days after that,” she stated.

This time, a golden miracle is within the offing for Ngọc: “I’m on cloud 9. Now I wish to be on the highest of the rostrum for the SEA Video games.” VNS