Gymnastics

Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Như receives the gold medal for the women’s vault event at the 2026 FIG World Challenge Cup in Tashkent. — Photos courtesy of SAV

Thanh Hà

HÀ NỘI —From a young girl struggling through painful training sessions to a world champion standing atop the podium in Tashkent, Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Như has emerged as the new face of Vietnamese gymnastics after ending an 11-year title drought for the nation’s women.

Như, the new queen of the national gymnastics, made an excellent performance to triumph in the women's vault event. She was outstanding, as the only participant receiving more than 13,000 points for her two jumps.

Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Như performs at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games 2025.

"It is my first sweet achievement of 2026," said Như. "Although there were several mistakes in my performance, I will take this as a learning experience and will try to improve in future competitions."

Difficult start

Like many girls, Như practised gymnastics during summer holidays at the Trần Hưng Đạo Club.

Gymnastics is a highly technical sport that relies on deliberate, repetitive practice to build muscle memory. Athletes spend at least four hours per week in the gym, focusing heavily on flexibility, core strength, body control, and mastering complex tumbling and apparatus skills.

"I began with gymnastics as a very thin and small girl. My journey in the sport involved a long series of days facing muscle and joint pain, calluses and bleeding wounds on the palms of the hands and heavy pressure before and during major tournaments," said Như.

After one year, Như unexpectedly quit simply because nobody was available to take her to the club. Nevertheless, the coaches tried their hardest to bring her back.

"The coaches encouraged me while my mother tried to support me. Thankfully, I have stuck with gymnastics since then," she said.

However, training was not easy, and the pain continued to make her think about quitting.

"Sometimes, coaches punish me because of my poor quality in training. Standing in a corner watching teammates working well, I felt disheartened. In such a group of promising girls, I was considered near the bottom place. It was quite disappointing."

Như appeared more mature than many girls her age. She knew these challenges were only part of what every gymnast had to overcome.

She left all failure and criticisms behind and strove for self-improvement, gradually meeting coaches' requirements.

Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Như and her coach discuss tactics before competition.

Như's willpower and determination was tested as she suffered a serious fracture of cervical vertebrae at age 15.

"That injury was the most serious, making many people think that I might have to retire. Luckily, after a year of physical therapy, I was able to return to training. The more I recovered, the more determined I was to be successful," said Như.

Sweet results

Her efforts have made Như one of the best female gymnasts since the decorated Phan Thị Hà Thanh retired in 2016.

"A gold from the Southeast Asian University Games 2016 was the first top mark in my life as a junior athlete," said 28-year-old Như, who then secured silvers from the Southeast Asian Games 2022 and 2025 as a senior competitor.

Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Như prepares for her performance at the 2025 Asian Gymnastics Championships.

Also in 2025, Như made history winning a silver medal from the Asian Gymnastics Championship. She ended Việt Nam's 13 years of absence from the podium of a continental tournament.

In the Jecheon event, Như's nearly-perfect jump brought her 13,333 points to place second, just a fraction less than Zhang Yihan of China.

Như was almost unknown among her strong rivals, meaning her achievement has been seen as a big bang for the Vietnamese gymnastics community.

“Months afterwards, I still think about the moment I was called up to receive the silver. It was so meaningful to me as I worked really hard for that medal," said Như who was also awarded a Labour Order by the State for the achievement.

Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Như (centre) celebrates on the podium at the FIG World Challenge Cup 2026 in Tashkent.

The gold medal in Uzbekistan made her the second Vietnamese woman on top of the world after her idol Thanh, who won in 2015.

A week after the victory ceremony in Tashkent, Như is already busy preparing for the Asian championships in China. Như said the event would be strong motivation for her to aim for the top spot when the time comes. — VNS