“I thank Khanh Thi for giving all her mind and brain to her husband”

On the afternoon of May 15, at Long Bien Gymnasium (Hanoi), the couple Phan Hien and Thu Huong won 3 gold medals in the sport and dance competition with 3 contents: Paso doble, Jive and 5 Latin dances. This is Phan Hien’s next achievement after he won the gold medal at the 30th SEA Games held in the Philippines three years earlier.

PV Vietnamese people had a conversation with Phan Hien and Khanh Thi right after the victory:

How do you feel when you achieve a great achievement: 3 gold medals at SEA Games 31?

– Phan Hien: I am very happy and also a little surprised with this achievement. The previous SEA Games I won 1 gold medal, so this year I hope to have 2. Fortunately, everything turned out better than expected in the end.

This result is the best efforts of Phan Hien and Thu Huong as well as the whole team behind in the past time.

As for Khanh Thi, you must be equally happy to witness her husband’s success?

– Khanh Thi: To be honest, before Phan Hien competed, I was very nervous. Phan Hien has only been practicing for 3.4 months now, after the Covid-19 epidemic was brought under control. Because of that, getting a gold medal at this SEA Games is a difficult challenge for both husband and wife and athlete Thu Huong. Moreover, Phan Hien also won a gold medal at SEA Games 30, that achievement is a pressure.

That day, my emotions burst when Hien conquered each of his categories to compete and winat-tricks. 3 gold medals made me extremely happy, I was about to cry and laugh but in the end “stuck”, not knowing what to do. I don’t think Hien can win so completely.

How do you rate the performance at the 31st SEA Games this time?

– Phan Hien: For me, it only achieved about 90% of what I expected, because I still encountered a few small errors. Fortunately, I have a certain amount of experience in the ring so everything went quite smoothly. All in all, I’m satisfied with what we’ve done, but not 100%.

Khanh Thi: The performance of Phan Hien and Thu Huong could have been more complete if the gymnasium had opened for athletes to practice before. As a coach, I hope they can be better, but as a spectator, I think I’m satisfied.

The journey to 3 SEA Games gold medals must not be easy, especially when Phan Hien has to change a new dance partner?

– Phan Hien: That’s right, with dancesport, when changing partners, everything has to be recalculated from the beginning. This is a difficult challenge for Khanh Thi, when she is Hien’s direct coach. I thank my wife for putting all my brain and mind on my husband (laugh). Khanh Thi planned in detail, from the very first step until I won the gold medal.

During the days of social distancing, we faced great difficulty when we had to practice online with foreign coaches. Since dancesport is a dynamic sport, everything can only be about 30% more effective than direct training. I was very worried and wondered: “With that intensity, will I be able to win a medal?”.

As soon as Vietnam opened the door, Khanh Thi said: “Let’s go to Italy to practice together”. So the couple decided to go immediately and stay there for about 2 months. It was the first time that Thi played the role of both a coach and a wife. Take care of me, cook for me. My success today is due to having such a solid rear.

Khanh Thi: At that time, due to the impact of the epidemic, it was very difficult to apply for a visa to stay. During those two months, Hien and Huong practiced from 7 am and ended at 11 pm, practicing for 2 months, which was almost two years long. I just had to plan and cook so that my husband can’t get fat for that dish, but my dance partner can’t be skinny. Because, their bodies are opposite, Huong needs more weight, Hien needs to lose weight.

When returning to Hanoi, the weather was too hot, sweating and overtraining also made the athletes’ morale somewhat go down. As the day of competition approaches, the pressure of athletes increases. At that time, Phan Hien started to get nervous and always asked: “Did you dance any better today?”. I try to create confidence and excitement in my husband. When the exam was over, he also asked me: “Can my husband do it?”. I said, “Okay”.

Kubi – how does your son react to the success of his parents?

– Phan Hien: When I called home, Kubi said: “You only got 3 gold medals, you still lose to me”. (Because before that, Kubi only competed with 8 gold medals in a tournament). Anna also exclaimed: “Did you lose to Kubi?” (laugh).

Thank you for your sharing!