Nguyễn Tiến Minh

In this Vietnamese name, the family name is Nguyen. According to Vietnamese custom, this person should properly be referred to by the given name Minh.
Nguyễn Tiến Minh
Personal information
Birth name Nguyễn Tiến Minh
Country  Vietnam
Born February 12, 1983
Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight 59 kg (130 lb; 9.3 st)
Handedness Right
Men's singles
Highest ranking 5 (November, 2010; August 15, 2013)
Current ranking 8 (December 12, 2013[1])
BWF profile

Nguyễn Tiến Minh (born February 12, 1983 in Ho Chi Minh City) is a male badminton player from Vietnam. His best achievement to date is a bronze medal at the World Badminton Championship in 2013.

Career

Introduced to badminton by his father at the early age of 10, Minh was immediately captivated by the sport and its graceful movements. The interest soon developed into a passion which led to Minh's crucial decision in 2001 when the athlete was 18 years old: to take on the path of becoming a professional badminton player instead of carrying on his education as his family wished. The young man's determination soon demonstrated its fruitful aspects when Minh was recruited into the national team in the same year. However, Minh's career did not become well known nation-wide until 2002 when he, at the age of 19, defeated the long time national champion, Phu Cuong Nguyen, and won the gold medal for the men single category.

Nevertheless, despite all of Minh's painstaking endearment and awe-inspiring progress, the badminton player was receiving a salary of less than 150 US dollars a month, as most Vietnamese athletes were at the time. After years of contributing to the nation's sport team, while his ranking has been progressing significantly and rapidly, Minh's income has only been increased by around 50 dollars. Vietnamese athletes, with incomes much higher than that of Minh's, normally have specially assigned specialists to look after their every aspect, such as diet, injuries, endurance training, etc., not to mention all the top ranking sporting facilities provided for by the government. On the other side of the scale, Minh has been trained in an environment with nothing but poor equipment and has to rely mostly on his family's financial support, the effort of his few coaches, and the contributions of his team mates.

Minh is portrayed by a common description in his home country, "the athlete with a herculean progress".

World Championship 2013

Minh came into the world championship seeded #7. Previously his best achievement at a world championship was to get to the quarter-final round at the 2011 championship in London, where he lost to Peter Gade of Denmark in three sets.

The first match was an easy affair (21-8 21-11) against the New Zealand player Joe Wu, who ranked 110.

The second match against the German Dieter Domke turned out to be quite tight. Minh started well, but then faded, and almost lost the first set. He was able to close out the set 24-22 though. Minh then won the second set 21-17.

In the next round, Minh played the Spaniard Pablo Abian. Minh lost the first set 15-21, but came back strongly and easily won the next two sets 21-9 21-10

The quarterfinal match between Minh and Jan O Jorgensen, rank #9, was a three-setter. Both players knew a lot was at stake here: the winner not only got to the semi-final, but would also be guaranteed a medal (the two losers in the semi-final both win bronze medals). That would be the first medal for both players at a world championship. Minh won in three set match (21-8, 17-21, 22-20). He became the first Vietnamese to win a medal at the world championship.

In the semi-final against Lin Dan, Minh lost 17-21 15-21. Despite the semi-final loss, the bronze medal was still a huge success for Tien Minh.

Immediately after the championship, Minh was nominated by the governmental sports authority of Vietnam (the TCTDTT - Bureau of Sports and Physical Activities) for an Order of Labor, 2nd class.[2] Minh previously was awarded the Order of Labor, 3rd class in 2011, also for his achievements and excellency in the field of sports.

Awards

Achievements

Career finals (11 titles, 3 runner-ups)

Outcome Year Tournament Opponent in final Score
1 2014 US Open Grand Prix Gold Chinese Taipei Chou Tien Chen 21-19 14-21 21-19
1 2013 US Open Grand Prix Gold Hong Kong Wong Wing Ki 18-21 21-17 21-18
2 2013 Chinese Taipei Open Grand Prix Gold South Korea Shon Wan-ho 21-19 9-21 18-21
1 2012 Chinese Taipei Open Grand Prix Gold Chinese Taipei Chou Tien-chen 21-11 21-17
1 2012 Vietnam Open Grand Prix Japan Takuma Ueda 21-14 21-19
2 2012 Australia Open Grand Prix Gold China Jin Chen 11-21 12-21
2 2011 US Open Grand Prix Gold Japan Sho Sasaki 17-21 18-21
1 2011 Vietnam Open Grand Prix Japan Sho Sasaki 21-13 21-17
1 2010 Australia Open Grand Prix (*) Malaysia Krishnan Yogendran 21-14 21-11
1 2009 Vietnam Open Grand Prix Malaysia Chong Wei Feng 21–7, 19–21, 21–14
1 2009 Chinese Taipei Open Grand Prix Gold Malaysia Wong Choong Hann 21-11 21-14
1 2009 Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold Thailand Boonsak Ponsana 21-16 21-13
1 2008 Vietnam Open Grand Prix Hong Kong Chan Yan Kit 24-22 21-18
     Grand Prix/Grand Prix Gold tournament

(*) The Australia Open tournament is not elevated to Gold status until 2011

Record Against Selected Opponents

Includes results from all competitions 2005–present.[3]

References

  1. ↑ BWF World Ranking
  2. ↑ http://thethao.vnexpress.net/tin-tuc/cac-mon-khac/tien-minh-duoc-de-nghi-tang-huan-chuong-lao-dong-hang-nhi-2864014.html
  3. ↑ "Rankings of Tien Minh NGUYEN". tournamentsoftware.com.

External links