Boxer Nguyen Thi Tam was born and brought up in Quynh Phu, Thai Binh, but Hanoi is the place where she developed her sporting career. Well trained at the boxing club in Hanoi with 12 years of pursuing her passion, Nguyen Thi Tam has reached the pinnacle of her career. In 2020, with efforts in training and competing, this Hanoi boxer has been allowed to attend the 11th Tokyo Olympics, bringing honour to the Vietnamese sports delegation. Therefore, the title of “Typical Capital Woman in 2021” is recognition for Tam’s efforts in the past time, giving her more motivation to conquer new milestones.
Nguyen Thi Tam (far left) at the Ceremony of “Typical Capital Women in 2021”
“I was very surprised and happy when I was praised by the Hanoi Women’s Union. This motivates me to work harder and try harder to bring glory to the Capital’s sport. Hanoi is the place where I started my career, where some teachers and friends always love and encourage me every day. I always cherish every past memory with Hanoi sports and always remind myself not to be content with myself,” shared Nguyen Thi Tam.
After 12 years of pursuing her passion for boxing, Nguyen Thi Tam has owned a remarkable collection of medals: At the regional level, the capital boxer won a bronze medal at ASIAD 2018, a gold medal at the Asian Women’s Boxing Championships 2017, the champion of the World Boxing Championships 2019, a European-Asian star and the defending champion of the 30th SEA Games, in the 51kg weight category. In the domestic arena, she won 2 silver medals at the 2013 and 2016 National Boxing Club Championships; 1 gold medal at this tournament in 2018.
Among the above achievements, it is worth noting the gold medal at the 2017 Asian Boxing Championships held in November in Ho Chi Minh City. In the final round, Nguyen Thi Tam excellently defeated the great boxer Pang Choi Mi (North Korea) to win the historic gold medal in the 51kg weight category for Vietnam Boxing. Worth mentioning, in this tournament, 5 Vietnamese female boxers reached the final, but only Nguyen Thi Tam created a miracle. Until now, it is still the most “expensive” medal on the Vietnamese boxing continent.
The title “Typical Capital Woman in 2021” is recognition for Nguyen Thi Tam’s efforts over the past time.
At the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Nguyen Thi Tam had a match to overcome herself. Before a strong and experienced opponent like Krasteva Zhelyazkova, Nguyen Thi Tam still entered the game with confidence, “tit-for-tat” strategy and only lost 2-3 close to the European champion.
Returning from the 2020 Olympics, Nguyen Thi Tam has made a remarkable growth in both professionalism and competitive spirit, confidently looking forward to the tournaments ahead. “After the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, I myself have gained a lot of experience and will need to practice hard to win a place for the 2024 Olympics in France after 3 years. Returning to Vietnam at this time, I continue to practice and improve my tactical skills to have good expertise to prepare to compete at the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam. Certainly, I aim at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with better performance, more confidence,” said Nguyen Thi Tam.
Currently, Nguyen Thi Tam is training in Hanoi to prepare for the important goals in 2022 which are the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) in Vietnam and ASIAD 19 in China and beyond and continue to win tickets to the 2024 Olympics in France after 3 years.
Referring to Nguyen Thi Tam is talking about a strong woman, aspiring to win. To achieve the glory on the ring, Nguyen Thi Tam had to work hard to practice, win against herself as well as overcome prejudice barriers. As we all know, in the process of practising boxing, a combat sport that requires a lot of physical strength and ability to withstand blows, it is what happens when you get injured, bruised on your face, hands and feet. Overcoming everything, with hard work, diligence, and professional attitude in practice and competition, Tam has been rewarded with the honor of standing on the highest podium in many national and international arenas and competitions.
Excited to be honored by the Hanoi Women’s Union as ‘Typical Capital Woman in 2021’, but Nguyen Thi Tam still does not forget her mission, which is the goal of successfully defending the gold medal at SEA Games 31 and changing the medal color at ASIAD 19.
M.T