Hanoi (VNA) – 15-year-old Van Quynh Phuong,a 9th grader at M. V. Lomonosov Middle & High School, is theyoungest Vietnamese athlete participating in the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), competing in dancesport.
      
Although Phuong took the first steps towardsprofessional dancesport only three years ago, she has shimmied her way to bringhome hundreds of medals and awards, including 26 golds from major national andinternational tournaments in 2020-2021.

Her dance partner is Tien Minh, who won the crown atthe national U18 championships. They were the first Vietnamese athletes tosecure a championship title at a tournament held by the World DanceSportFederation.

The duo now rank 142nd in the world, thehighest standing ever achieved by a Vietnamese dancesport pair.

Thanks to her outstanding performance at theNational Dancesport Club Championships last March, Phuong was picked for thenational team to become the youngest ever Vietnamese athlete at the SEA Games.

Her mother, Nguyen Linh, said since she was small,Phuong has been an independent and strong girl. She never gives up herdreams and strives to make them come true.

Her mother has repeatedly tried to stop her from pursuingdancesport after seeing the blood, sweat and tears in training.

At the National Dancresport Club Championships 2022, Phuonghad to use painkillers for a major foot injury that made her in tears every timeshe put her shoes on.

However, the girl put the injury off until after thecompetition, and her third prize and selection for SEA Games 31 were justrewards.

Phuong said she is grateful to her coaches andespecially her mother, who have always given her encouragement and stood by herside.

Apart fromsporting successes, the girl has recorded outstanding academic achievements inall subjects, especially physics for which she has a special love.

Her headteacher Tran Thi Ngoc Anh said Phuong isalways a top student in the class. After each training session, she borrows notesfrom her friends to catch up.

Phuong said she is aiming to win a SEA Games gold tomeet the expectations of her parents, teachers, friends and fans, as well as topromote dancesport.

Dancesport will include 12 events this time,including six each in the Standard and Latin disciplines.

The Vietnamese dancesport team has set a target ofwinning three gold medals at the Games, which is taking place in Hanoi and 11 nearby cities and provinces.

The athletes will vie in the waltz, tango, Viennesewaltz, slow foxtrot, quickstep, samba, cha cha cha, rumba, paso doble and jivecategories.

At the last SEA Games in the Philippines, theVietnamese dancesport team took home two gold medals in the quickstep and jiveevents.

The SEA Games 31 dancesport competitions are scheduledfor May 15-16 at Long Bien Gymnasium in Hanoi./.