(Sports)Interview: Olympic gold medalist Hoang Xuan Vinh, a reluctant hero

"People call me a hero, but I think I am just a soldier and citizen of Vietnam," marksman Hoang Xuan Vinh, who won the first-ever Olympic gold medal for Vietnam, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview here on Wednesday.

On Aug. 7 at Rio Olympics in Brazil, Vinh won Vietnam's first-ever Olympic gold in the men's 10m air pistol event. On Aug. 10, he went on to finish as a silver medallist in the men's 50m pistol event.

Dismounting his motorbike ahead of the interview with Xinhua, Vinh appeared neatly dressed in a white shirt and grey pants. With his success at Rio, Vinh has been praised as a "hero" or "legend of Vietnamese sports".

"The result was beyond my expectation, as ahead of the competition I had only one focused on trying to do my best," Vinh said humbly about his victory in Rio. "I am very proud and it is my honor to bring glory to the nation and the country of Vietnam."

Landing at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi after his flight back home from the Games, Vinh was welcomed by thousands of adoring fans. "I was moved seeing so many people, friends and colleagues welcome me at the airport and I felt so proud and was beyond happy," the Olympic gold medalist told Xinhua, the first foreign media to be granted an interview with Vinh since he returned from Rio.

The marksman said he went to train in China's Kunming when he was young and revealed that he loved Chinese cuisine, especially Beijing roasted duck and fried rice, the latter of which he remembered the pronunciation "chao fan" (meaning fried rice in Chinese).

"During tournaments, I often talk with Chinese athletes and they are my dear friends. In sports we are athletes, but we are all very open and get along well with each other," Vinh told Xinhua.

Vinh said he was very young and his ability had yet to peak before he went to China to train. "After competing at major tournaments, I have gradually improved my skills and results. Where you train is not important. The point is the end achievements and fulfilling the missions."

Vinh told Xinhua, however, that his path to the top had not been an easy one. He said he had failed in numerous competitions, including at the London Olympics in 2012, the Asian Games at China's Guangzhou and the Republic of Korea's Incheon.

"After many failures, there were times that I felt disappointed with myself," Vinh recalled.

"But then I think about the effort and support that other people have offered me. The teachers, friends and especially my family have placed a lot of expectations on me. They encouraged me after the failures."

"If we don't feel discouraged by the failures and continue to try, one day we will succeed. We have to find out the reasons for the failures and how to seize the opportunities when we have a chance to take the lead. This is the motivation that helps me to continue to persist and try," Vinh told Xinhua.

And all the persistence and efforts paid off when Vinh claimed one gold and one silver medal at the 2016 summer Olympics.

Vinh undergoes training and attends competitions almost all year round, but he is always trying to spend more time with his family and encourages his children to do more exercise.

"I often tell my children to join sports activities so as to have good health and healthy lifestyle and personality."

Asked whether he expects his two children, 14-year-old daughter Tue Minh and 7-year-old son Nam Trung to follow his sporting career, a usually serious Vinh smiled, "I will be very happy if they like sports and if so, I will help them to develop. I will always respect my children's choices no matter if they choose sports or other jobs."

Not only with regard to his own children, in his message to young people, Vinh said, "Young people should train for physical strength to improve their own health, life quality, and responsibilities to the community and society. This is what I want to share with fans and young people. Be healthy to build and protect the country."

Vinh, also a military colonel, was born in 1974 in Ha Tay province (now merged with Hanoi). After leaving school, Vinh voluntarily joined the army and studied at an engineering school and a school for army officers. He later joined Vietnam's national shooting team.

Currently Vinh is an athlete and also serves as a coach. He is participating in managing and training activities for military athletes.

"I am always ready to continue competing and dedicate myself to the nation," Vinh said resolutely.

"I wish that other athletes in Vietnam will receive more investment and that Vietnamese sports can be further developed and rise to higher positions in international arenas," Vinh told Xinhua of his ultimate hopes for the future of sports in his country. Endit