What this star has done for Vietnamese table tennis in particular and Vietnamese sports in general will forever remain in the minds of fans.
March 17, 2004 marked a historical milestone in Vietnamese table tennis that to this day, many sports fans in the country still often mention it.
None other than Doan Kien Quoc – one of the most outstanding table tennis players we have ever produced.
The Kien Quoc delegation is the pride of Vietnamese sports (Photo: Getty)
Doan Kien Quoc was born in 1979 in Nha Trang, former Phu Khanh province (later split into two provinces, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa), in a family where the whole family loves table tennis.
Then one day, the coach saw that Kien Quoc was passionate about table tennis and gave him the opportunity to try.
Kien Quoc started playing for the table tennis team in his hometown of Khanh Hoa, gradually improving his level and was called up to the national team in 1996 and immediately left his mark with a gold medal at the Southeast Asian Youth Championship with
In 2000, Doan Kien Quoc and his senior Vu Manh Cuong participated in the Sydney Olympic table tennis qualifying round, but their dream of attending the Olympics was temporarily put on hold when both players could not do anything against their opponents.
It wasn’t until four years later, at the Athens 2004 Olympic qualifiers, that Vietnamese table tennis and Doan Kien Quoc personally enjoyed the fruits.
After an unsuccessful attempt at the Sydney 2000 Olympic qualifiers, Doan Kien Quoc enjoyed full joy at the Athens Olympic qualifiers that took place four years later (Photo: Getty)
In particular, the final match competing for the only spot to attend the Athens Olympics was the confrontation between Doan Kien Quoc and Tran Tuan Quynh – two bright stars of Vietnamese table tennis at that time.
On the way to the final, the player from Khanh Hoa also surpassed regional table tennis names such as Phuchong Sanguansin (Thailand) and Yon Mardiyono (Indonesia).
This is a historic moment for table tennis in particular and Vietnamese sports in general when for the first time in history a table tennis player won the right to attend the Olympics.
Kien Quoc delegation at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (Photo: Department of Sports and Sports)
That was also the last time a Vietnamese table tennis player was present at the Olympic playground.
Now, in the role of a coach of the Vietnamese table tennis team, Doan Kien Quoc will be the one to directly direct and guide the students, looking for spots to attend the Olympics with the home team.
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