Bui Thi Thu Thao was the first Vietnamese athlete to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. She competed excellently in 2018 and was voted as the typical athlete. At the SEA Games, Thao is also the defending champion when he won the gold medal in Malaysia in 2017.
Bui Thi Thu Thao will ‘return’ in 2021.
At the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines in December 2019, Bui Thi Thu Thao was absent “for family reasons”. Without Thu Thao, the Vietnamese delegation had difficulty in the women’s long jump content when only won the bronze medal was won by Vu Thi Mong Mo with a record of 6m16.
Recently, Bui Thi Thu Thao revealed to the local media that at the end of 2020 she will be a mother for the first time. After completing the ‘noble obligation’, she will return in 2021.
Bui Thi Thu Thao is currently working as a long jump coach for young athletes at the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center. 2018 was a great year for Bui Thi Thu Thao. She has affirmed her position as the “star” of Asia’s No. 1 long jump when she won the Asian gold medal and the prestigious ASIAD 2018 gold medal in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Bui Thi Thu Thao and ASIAD 18 gold medal.
With a jump of 6m55, Bui Thi Thu Thao excellently brought the Vietnam Sports team a gold medal in athletics at the 18th Asian Games. More preciously, this is the historical gold medal of Vietnamese athletics at ASIAD and also the only gold medal of Southeast Asia in this Asian Games.
In 2021, Vietnam will be the host of the 31st SEA Games taking place in Hanoi and with Thu Thao’s return will be good news for Vietnam athletics.
Hoang Vinh