Nguyen Dinh Toan came to martial arts because he wanted to defend himself, but through hard training and a growing passion for the sport, he changed his life.

Synchronised: Vu Dinh Toan (centre) performs in the men’s taekwondo team performance event during the Southeast Asian Games in Laos last week.

Toan was often bullied by fellow street children, so he decided to learn martial arts to defend himself.

Because of their love for Toan, his parents saved money for him to learn martial arts and a golden opportunity was presented.

In 2001, taekwondo coach Le Minh Khuong came across Toan when he was scouting for talent in martial arts schools. Khuong saw the natural potential of the small martial artist and accepted him as his disciple.

Under the guidance of Khuong, Toan trained hard to improve his stamina and competitive ability, outgrowing his street-life roots.

Thanks to Khuong, Toan returned to school and is now a second-year student at Bac Ninh Sports College.

“I thank Khuong very much. He gave me a bright future. I was able to return to school, live a well-off life and support my family better. But perhaps more importantly I’ve won medals for my country,” Toan said.

The 23-year-old athlete won his first two gold medals for the Viet Nam sport delegation at the 25th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, which wrapped up in Laos last Friday.

In the men’s team poomsae (performance) taekwondo event, he won gold alongside his teammate Vu Thanh Duong and Le Trung Anh.

In the mixed pairs competition, Toan, a two-time world champion, and his female teammate Nguyen Thi Minh Tu outclassed the Thai brother and sister duo Hassamard and Naravich Rujirarot-chanakorn to win the second gold for Viet Nam on the same day.

Toan and Tu also defended their world championship title last month in Cairo.

“Toan lives in harmony with everyone and trains very hard. He is always conscious of improving himself no matter the environment. I hope he’ll achieve more for Vietnamese sport in the future,” Khuong said.

“After the SEA Games in Laos, I’m still training to compete in the next series of tournaments. I’m also focused on studying to become a coach like Khuong, the man who made me what I am today,” Toan said.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News