Jujitsu

Đào Hồng Sơn of Việt Nam (right) fights Tang Yong Siang of Singapore in the men's 56kg class at the 32nd SEA Games in May in Cambodia. VNA/VNS Photos

Thanh Hà

Tired, exhausted and hurt, Đào Hồng Sơn did not want to do anything but rest on the bed after training. However, when he woke up the next morning, it was a new day and he was fresh and full of energy. He forgot all his troubles and practised even harder.

As one of the national top martial artists in jujitsu, Sơn has been Việt Nam's hope in different competitions. He is now targeting better international results, including Asian and world events, including a hat trick at the SEA Games in the near future.

Rough road to victory

A native of Hà Nội's Thanh Trì District, Sơn, 26, has shown his sporting talent since he was a 12-year-old boy. Following his parents to a village festival, Sơn was interested in a wrestling competition and wanted to try.

"It was my first time watching wrestling. It was so exciting and I registered to compete. Although I had no idea about it, I could wrestle three rivals in my age group down and won," Sơn said.

Wrestling seemed part of his instinct. He knew how to take them down exactly, although he had not practised in any club before. And then, the surprising champion title turned his life in a different direction.

Sơn asked his parents to let him practise to be a professional athlete.

Đào Hồng Sơn poses with his gold medal of the men's 56kg class at the 32nd SEA Games in May in Cambodia. — VNA/VNS Photo

He loved wrestling but was sent to train as a judoka, winning medals from the national championships from 2016 to 2020.

It was also a time when jujitsu, which shares similarities with judo, was introduced in Việt Nam.

Sơn was one of the first athletes to switch to the new genre, and he has dominated national tournaments since 2019.

According to coaches, Sơn was proactive and agile. His 1.52m height was a minus, but he had excellent physical strength. His jujitsu enthusiasm and great determination were great weapons in his success.

Sơn then crossed the border to take golds at the Asian championships and SEA Games. He secured a bronze at the world championship in 2017 and a gold from the World Beach Games in 2022.

His journey to victory, however, was not easy.

Sơn suffered a serious knee ligament at the world championship in 2021, and he was forced to have surgery in early 2022.

Doctors grafted a piece of Achilles tendon to be his knee ligament. As the Achilles tendon was larger and stronger, the surgery time would be shortened, and it would help him quickly return to practice.

Five months later, the fighter who had 'no real knee ligament' grabbed his first-ever gold at the 31st SEA Games on home ground in Hà Nội.

Several months before the 32nd Games Cambodia in May, Sơn suffered the same injury and needed surgery again.

Đào Hồng Sơn celebrates his win in the men's 56kg class at the 31st SEA Games in May, 2022, in Việt Nam. — Photo doanhnghieptiepthi.vn

"It hurt, and I was disappointed when walking around my room on crutches, but I never wanted to give up," Sơn told Việt Nam News.

"From March to early May, I could only practise to elevate my knee's strength and keep fit. I only practised jujitsu once a week. It was really a combat between me, the injury and time. In Phnom Penh, I told myself to do my best but avoid recurrence of my injury. I did not think about a gold medal at all," said Sơn.

Sơn won three matches and lost one, the same result with athletes from Singapore and Thailand. He took gold after hours of waiting for the final decision, when referees gave Sơn more points due to his better performance.

Standing on the podium, Sơn could not hold back his tears of happiness as he had "converted time, sweat and blood into a moment of victory".

He won Việt Nam's only jujitsu gold at the 32nd SEA Games.

"Wearing the gold and singing the national anthem was, for me, the best feeling in my life. I was happy, proud and grateful to everyone who supported me to overcome my difficulties and have such a wonderful moment," said Sơn, who used to work as a shipper and online seller to feed his family.

Future plans

Currently, the martial artist is busy practising for the World Beach Games in Thailand later this month, where he will defend his title in the 56kg Nogi category.

Then, he will fly back home to take part in a national championship in Bình Dương Province.

Đào Hồng Sơn of Việt Nam (left) fights Keadnin Komkrit of Thailand in the men's 56kg class at the 31st SEA Games in 2022 in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

It is also important for him to protect his No 1 position at the 33rd SEA Games to be held in Thailand to complete his title hat trick.

"It is in late 2025, but time flies fast. I have to prepare everything from now because my rivals will also try to lift their level up to secure the gold," Sơn told Việt Nam News.

"I have pushed myself hard to develop better technique and tactics so that I can make it in the Thailand SEA Games.

"After that important mission, I will keep my eyes on other targets, such as mixed martial arts, which I have been very interested in recently."

Sơn has no date to test his ability with MMA because jujitsu is still his top priority.

"I am researching and looking for professional coaches who will help me to practise MMA. Whenever my mission with jujitsu is done, I will spend time on MMA and will have my chance to compete in the cage in the near future," he said. VNS