During the 31st SEA Games, the Vietnamese sports delegation achieved a total of 181 gold medals, topping the medal table. The pair of athletes Tran Hoang Duy Thuan and Bui Thi Thoa contributed a prestigious gold medal in the mixed doubles bodybuilding competition. Returning home after a glorious victory, the female athlete from Dong Nai received a lot of attention. Few people know that Ms. Thoa (born in 1991) is married and has a 2-year-old daughter. She herself confided: “Actually, many people still do not believe that they have had children. They think that a female athlete with training and muscles like this will find it difficult to get married and have children, and perhaps many Vietnamese boys are still a bit “afraid” ” athlete women”.
Athlete Bui Thi Thoa showed off her beautiful muscles, excellently winning gold for the Vietnamese sports delegation in the 31st SEA Games.
Pursuing a muscular sport like bodybuilding, athlete Bui Thi Thoa not only faced prejudices, but also sacrificed a lot of enthusiasm, effort to train her mind and also spend time with her family. Only 3 months after having a baby, Ms. Thoa returned to practice, after 6 months she “squeezed” her muscles to prepare for competition and won 1 gold and 1 silver when her daughter was 10 months old. For the convenience of work, Ms. Thoa currently lives far from her husband and children and can only go home every weekend. Fortunately, she has the absolute support of her family, has a biological mother to help take care of her grandchildren, a loving husband and an understanding little daughter.
Talking with athlete Bui Thi Thoa, it is easy to feel the femininity, a little shy, different from the stereotypes that many people impose on female athletes. Returning to the family nest, Ms. Thoa is a wife and mother like many people women On the other hand, there are also moments of surprise because of being a mother for the first time, worrying about taking care of a small child.
Family of athlete Bui Thi Thoa.
Hello, after receiving the gold medal at SEA Games 31, how has your life changed?
I started my career as a professional athlete at the end of 2012. This SEA Games held in Vietnam is the first SEA Games I’ve been fortunate to attend and win a gold medal for in mixed doubles. Before that, I participated in Asian tournaments.
When I returned home, my neighbors and brothers and sisters all came over and congratulated me. People know me more, meet me, they say hello. For example, now that I go to the market to buy things, some people recognize it (laughs). Winning also partly makes the work more convenient. My family made a small tray of rice to invite everyone to have fun together.
Did your daughter react to her mother’s victory?
My daughter is still very young, just over 2 years old, so she still doesn’t understand. When standing on the podium to receive the medal, the daughter is happy, because it has been a long time since she has seen her mother. During the training period to prepare for the competition, I did not have much time to spend with my children. I miss you so much, I keep asking for you all the time.
The big family went on stage to celebrate when Ms. Bui Thi Thoa won the gold medal.
Athlete is a special job, so you must have thought a lot about having children?
I plan to have a baby in 2018, when I am taking the National Congress exam. After 4 years of marriage, the couple decided to have a baby. When I was newly married, I still focused a lot on competing, so I had a “plan” and waited for the right time. At the beginning of 2019, I found out that I was pregnant, so I was very happy.
Why do you think the 4-year milestone after marriage is the right time to welcome a child member?
In general, I’ve been married for a long time, my husband’s family doesn’t put much emphasis on children, but people around often “ask out and ask”. I also feel pressure. At that time, I could arrange the time and wanted to have children, so I decided to have a baby.
Has having a baby disrupt your work and practice?
The practice was not interrupted much because I still practiced until the day I gave birth. When I was pregnant, I reduced my weight to half, doing moderate exercise according to strength. Because when I have a baby, my breathing is very heavy. When I can’t breathe, I stop, take a breath and then continue to practice.
However, I stopped playing. If there was no epidemic, every year I would compete in national competitions and tournaments in Asia, Southeast Asia, the world,… but when I had children, I would have to take a break for a while and only rejoin the big tournaments in recently.
4 years after getting married, Ms. Bui Thi Thoa put aside her competitive career to become a mother.
During the time of preparing for the birth of your child, did you experience any interesting stories or memories?
When I go to the antenatal clinic, I say my weight, many people think that I am obese or have gestational diabetes. When I took off my shirt, the doctor was surprised: “Oh my god, why are you so muscular?” When the doctor examined me, my health was completely normal. I look like this, but I’m actually about the same weight as another pregnant mother who is about to give birth, I walk lightly, and others are heavier.
In general, when entering the hospital, many people look at them and ask curiously: “Athlete huh?” The most funny thing is when I practice, I am used to breathing through my mouth to scream for strength, but when I gave birth, the doctor did not allow it. Doctor said: “Hold back, don’t scream”. So I have no power. Fortunately, my body is healthy, so I don’t have many difficulties.
When deciding to become a mother, are you worried about being “broken” or losing muscle, which may affect your work?
When I was 4-5 months pregnant, many people didn’t realize it. Normally, my weight is about 70kg, so people think I’m just “flushing” my figure. When I was close to giving birth, my belly grew a lot, I gained about 15kg by the time I went to the delivery table.
About 3 months after giving birth, I went back to exercising and eating according to the regime. I breastfed my baby until he was 6 months old, then weaned him off to prepare to return to the competition.
When you first returned to work, you must have faced many difficulties? Have you ever wanted to give up?
After giving birth, my body is very bulky and fat. It was during pregnancy that I still exercised, but my body still couldn’t be the same. My tendons are much weaker. In the first 1-2 months, I was very tired, I could only practice slowly. It wasn’t until my baby was 6 months old that I “tightened” it again.
At that time, the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, so I was also very discouraged. I want to give up, but my family, friends, and brothers and sisters also encourage me: “Once you’ve come this far, stop trying.” I also tried my best to go to the year-end competition and was lucky enough to win silver for women’s singles and gold for doubles. When I won the medal, my daughter was 10 months old.
6 months after giving birth, Ms. Thoa “tightened” her training regimen to prepare for competition. When her daughter was 10 months old, she excellently won 1 gold and silver medal.
As a first time mother, did you face many difficulties or confusion?
A lot (laughs). Because I’m the first time mother, there are many things I don’t know. However, I am very fortunate to have both my grandmother and the baby’s grandmother to take care of my baby for the first month. The two women just said so I was also somewhat surprised.
When I first started breastfeeding, I was scared. Because I’m used to using strong force, but he’s small, so I’m afraid of hurting him. Gradually, I also learned to get used to and take care of children more proficiently.
Many viewers are familiar with the image of strong athlete Bui Thi Thoa on stage, but it is difficult to imagine when returning home, what kind of mother she is. Can you share more?
In fact, many people still do not believe that they have children. They think that a female athlete with training and muscles like this will make it difficult to get married and have children, and perhaps many Vietnamese boys are still a bit “afraid” of female athletes. Some people even discriminate. But when I returned home, I was like many other women, a wife and a mother of the family.
As a mother, while pursuing a career as a professional athlete, you must have sacrificed a lot?
Currently, I rent an inn in Tan Binh (HCMC) to live and work, and my husband and children and grandmother live in Dong Nai. Only on weekends, I only go home once to visit my children, not being able to stay with them much. I miss my husband and children very much, but because of work, I have to accept such travel.
Ms. Thoa lives in Ho Chi Minh City to practice and work, while her husband and children live in Dong Nai.
Is your family planning to reunite in the future?
I really want to, but right now conditions don’t allow it, so I’ll just try slowly. I try to spend my weekends with my family. During the week, I call my daughter every day.
During the time you live away from home, who takes care of your daughter?
Most of the care for her daughter depends on her grandmother, because her husband also works, so he can only come home at night.
Because I am passionate, my family also wholeheartedly supports and creates conditions. While I was playing, both sides encouraged me and tried to take care of everything so that I wouldn’t have to think too much about my children. Thanks to that, I focus more on training. In almost every tournament, family is also a solid rear, giving strength but never creating pressure.
A little self-reflection, what kind of mother do you feel you are?
Due to life, sometimes I feel that I have not fulfilled the role of a mother with a child. I live too far away from my son, so I can’t be close to him much, so I always have to ask my father and grandmother to take care of him. However, I am very understanding, always close to my mother.
When I was about to go to school, I cried and refused to let my mother go. But just let me explain: “Mom goes to work to earn money to buy milk for me” I’m not nagging anymore. I will wish: “Mom, be careful” then wait for the weekend to see mom.
Ask a little fun, has your daughter ever been curious, wondering why her mother is so tall and muscular?
(Laughs) Actually, you’re too young to understand and ask questions like this. However, from time to time, I still tease my children: “Mom like this, do you feel terrible?” Then I will answer: “You’re beautiful, you’re beautiful.” I am very happy.
The couple both have sports backgrounds and she herself has achieved excellent results. Do you want your child to follow in your mother’s footsteps?
I can’t say this in advance, because I don’t want to force it. What you like, I support you to pursue it. If you grow up and you want to practice like your mother, then I agree. But following this career is very hard (laughs), if you want to practice to stay in shape, it’s fine, but professional competition is very hard, you have to practice intensely, “tighten” your muscles, even starve to force weight.
The daughter of Thoa is lovely, imitating her “muscle” mother.
Thank you for sharing!
at Blogtuan.info – Source: Eva.vn – Read the original article here
