VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam's No 1 badminton player, Nguyen Tien Minh, made history last weekend by winning a world championship bronze medal with a display full of passion and commitment.

Hard hitter: Nguyen Tien Minh rises high to execute a smash. His domestic dominance has never been challenged.

His success in Gungzhou, China, is the greatest achieved by a Vietnamese badminton player and has provided a huge boost to the sport in the country.

Huynh Ngoc Lien, vice chairwomen of the HCM City Badminton Federation, was with Minh in China to support him through the tournament.

"In the final points of the decisive third set against Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark in the quarterfinal, Minh was worn out but I cheered him on along with all the fans. He was able to summon up all his remaining energy and strength to claim the set and the match," said Lien, who has followed all the ups and downs of his career. She added that Minh himself is the most important factor in his success as his work ethic and dedication have seen him constantly improve. It is particularly special that Minh's greatest achievement so far in his career has come in his 30s, the age at which many athletes begin passing their peak.

She reflected that Minh showed his talent from an early age when he became the country's best badminton player at the tender age of 19. His domestic dominance has never been challenged since then.

He has won every national men's singles title since 2002 along with 13 international titles.

Lien attributed some of Minh's early success to the popularity of badminton in HCM City.

The city has continuously organised international badminton tournaments, most noticeably Viet Nam Open, which has been an important platform for Minh's success and in which he has won four titles in five years.

In his career, Minh has also received a lot of support from his family, sponsors and the HCM City Badminton Federation under the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Financial assistance from these sources has allowed him to play in dozens of international tournaments every year.

Also responsible for Minh's achievements is his world-class coach, Asep Suharno, the former trainer of the Indonesian national badminton team who has been by Minh's side during many of his successes in the last two years.

Source: VNS