The Journey to the Top: Lessons from the Late Finishers in Vietnamese Sports

On a rainy night at My Dinh National Stadium, I witnessed a moment that no statistical table could fully describe. It wasn't a decisive goal, nor a successful penalty kick in stoppage time. It was the image of a Vietnamese track and field athlete, finishing last in the 10,000-meter event, yet still running an extra lap to wave to the crowd. No one asked him to do that. But to me, a sports journalist who has covered hundreds of major tournaments, that was the clearest manifestation of the Vietnamese sports spirit – a spirit that never gives up, even when victory is out of reach. The context of Vietnamese sports is undergoing a strong transformation. Since the 31st SEA Games hosted at home in 2026, where Vietnam topped the medal table with 205 gold medals, fans have begun to expect more from elite sports. However, this expectation also creates invisible pressure on athletes – especially those who don't win medals. While media focuses on champions, late finishers are often forgotten. But they are the ones who best understand the value of perseverance. I remember the story of high jumper Nguyen Thanh Nhan, who spent 15 years of his career without ever winning a SEA Games gold medal. He always finished in fourth or fifth place – a position no one remembers. But when I interviewed him after a failure at the national championship, he told me: "Fourth place haunts me more than any gold medal, because it's a story of resilience." That sentence changed how I view sports. Not everyone can stand on the podium, but everyone can write their own story with sweat and tears. Data from the Vietnam Institute of Sports Science shows a thought-provoking truth: in the 2026-2026 period, up to 67% of national team athletes experienced a period of mental crisis after failing at major tournaments. But only 23% of them had access to sports psychologists. This number reveals a large gap in our national sports training system. We invest billions of dong in facilities and modern equipment, but we forget the most important factor – the mental health of athletes. This is especially serious for late finishers, who face failure more often. The contrarian view here is: we are so focused on training champions that we forget that late finishers are the sustainable foundation of sports. They are the ones who inspire the younger generation, who maintain passion for sports in the community. When a child in a remote village sees an athlete who doesn't give up despite finishing last, they learn a lesson about perseverance more valuable than any medal. We need to build a sports ecosystem where finishing late is not considered failure, but part of the development journey. Looking to the future, I believe Vietnamese sports need to change how they measure success. Instead of just counting medals, we should evaluate the holistic development of athletes – from physical, mental to life skills. A strong sports nation is not one with many gold medals, but one that nurtures a love for sports in every citizen. It is the late finishers, with their resilience, who will be the strongest inspiration for the next generation. And that is the true legacy we need to build.