Hoang Quy Phuoc, a big hope for Vietnam’s swimming future

Before Hoang Quy Phuoc came along, the central city of Da Nang had never produced an excellent swimmer at the national level.

Phuoc, 15, grew up living less than 200 meters from My Khe Beach so he spent a lot of time in the water as a child.

By 2003, as a student at Ngo May Primary School, Phuoc’s finesse in the pool at children’s sports competitions caught the eye of city swimming instructor Phan Thanh Toai.

A year later, the swimmer was representing Da Nang City in the National Teenage Sports Competition.

Despite a poor performance at the swim meet, the Da Nang swimming instructors saw Phuoc’s potential as he had an ideal body for the sport: tall with very long arms. Some of the coaches at the Da Nang City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s athletes training center took an interest in him and he started to power forward.

In June 2006, Phuoc was called to join the national junior team and he started training at the National Sports Training Center in the city. A year later, he was put on the national team coached by instructor Nguyen Dang Ha.

Last year was a prosperous year for the young swimmer. At the Southeast Asian Junior Swimming Championships, Phuoc won two gold, three silver and two bronze medals. Then, at the Southeast Asian Swimming Clubs Championships, he grabbed eight golds.

His most impressive achievements of the year were at the 2008 National Swimming Championships held at Ho Chi Minh City’s Phu Tho Diving Club in October where he beat senior swimmers to win the 100m freestyle gold, breaking Nguyen Thanh Hai’s 2005 record by 0.89 seconds.

He also won gold in the 200-meter freestyle defeating Hai and Van Ty. Five golds, two bronzes and breaking three national records at the meet won Phuoc the title of “Best male swimmer of the tournament.”

“Unusual”

Phuoc was destined to be a good swimmer from birth - weighing 4.5kg with exceptionally long limbs. From finger-tip to finger-tip his arms now measure 1.93 meters. His hands and feet are longer than normal too – which is why his teammates at the national level call him “unusual person.”

The young athlete is very timid, however, perhaps because the training shelters him from outside contact. Since he joined the national junior team, Phuoc rarely visits home although the training center is only about 10 km away. If his family wants him to come back for a visit, his sister must call coach Ha in advance on Sunday. If approved, she can take Phuoc home but she must bring him back to the center on time.

“I’m sorry for him but there’s nothing I can do about it,” Ha said. “Phuoc is now ‘national property.’ I can’t imagine what we would do if something happens to him.”

Apart from his training, Phuoc attends general education evening classes taught by teachers invited by the National Sports Training Center and plays basketball in his free time.

Reported by Hai Nam