Vietnamese female racer wins Asian championship: I was lucky not to have my car caught fire in Thailand

Ton Hoang Khanh Lan is a very familiar name in bodybuilding, having had almost no opponents in domestic tournaments for many years. Since 2001, the female athlete born in 1978 from Dong Nai has always had her name on the gold list of the 52kg weight class and is the women's all-around champion in 6 out of the last 9 national tournaments.

Not to mention Khanh Lan has also "dominated" her weight class for 5 consecutive National Sports Festivals since 2006! In 2018, Khanh Lan also made her mark in the international arena with a Gold Medal at the World Bodybuilding and Fitness Championship held in Thailand.

Sports tournaments taking place in Thailand seem to have a connection with Khanh Lan, when in 2015, the girl from Dong Nai province once again won a gold medal, but this time not in bodybuilding but in road cycling in the women's mass start category, amateur category, age group 45-49.

Immediately after returning home, female bodybuilder Ton Hoang Khanh Lan had an interesting conversation with Dan Tri reporter about her journey to win the precious gold medal in Thailand mentioned above.

Female athlete Ton Hoang Khanh Lan won gold medal at the 2025 Asian Road Cycling Championship held in Thailand (Photo: NVCC).

Hello and congratulations to Ms. Khanh Lan. Until now, your feelings about the gold medal you won in Thailand must still be intact?

- Even though I have been back home for a few days, I still feel like I am floating in the clouds, because I really do not believe that I can win a gold medal in my first time participating in an international tournament and in a sport that is not my forte.

I remember when I just crossed the finish line, the team members announced that I had won the gold medal, but I still couldn’t believe it was true. My heart was pounding, I was so nervous. Then I received countless congratulations from everyone, and the news from the media, then I thought I had succeeded as I wished.

The secret to "playing hard and playing uphill" on the racetrack

It seems that you are the athlete that the Vietnamese cycling team did not target to win a gold medal at the tournament in Thailand, instead there are bright names like Nguyen Thi That, Nguyen Tuan Vu... So what is the secret to your recent outstanding achievements?

- I just learned about road cycling in mid-June 2022. Back then, I used to joke with people that, as an athlete, just getting on the saddle would get you on the podium (winning a medal). When competing, you have to fight with all your might, "play hard, play hard" just like me. I always aim to compete well and leave a good impression on everyone.

When competing in Thailand, I always remember the instructions of Coach Dang Ngoc Tu (Coach of Dong Nai province cycling team) that I must try to concentrate 100% on following my opponent, waiting for the most appropriate moment to accelerate in the last kilometers according to the tactic people often call "hiding from the wind".

I had to try to stay close to my opponent, balance my strength properly to break out in the last 200m to surprise my opponent and make him unable to stop me from winning. Before leaving for Thailand, I told my coach that I would win the jersey that every champion desires, would stand on the podium and watch the Vietnamese flag fly.

The night before the race, I was so nervous that I slept fitfully, praying that I would not have any problems during the race. Just kidding, I also watched many clips of athletes sprinting to the finish line, including the female athlete Nguyen Thi That, who is my idol.

In that tournament, the Vietnamese team had an ironic incident where all their bikes caught fire right before the race. Were you one of the athletes whose bikes caught fire and did that have a big impact on your mentality as well as the other teammates in the race?

- Luckily, I didn't go with the group on February 5 so my bike didn't burn out like everyone else. To be honest, it was because I didn't have enough money to leave early. To go to Thailand to compete, I only received 5 million VND from Cat Viet Thai Club, the rest I had to pay for myself. The Vietnam Cycling Federation only supported me with registration and transporting the bike to the competition venue.

At first, I really wanted to compete in two events: the individual time trial and the women's mass start. But the difficulty is that to compete in the individual time trial, you need to have a bike that meets the standards of the Asian Cycling Federation, while I am a bit picky about my height, so it is very difficult to borrow a standard bike.

So I could only compete in the women's cross-country start. Luckily, I was not affected by the car fire like everyone else, so I won the precious gold medal. I still feel happy and joyful because I did something that brought glory to the country.

Now I am more well-known on the street, even more famous than in bodybuilding. The other day when I went to eat at a restaurant, many people recognized me and asked to take pictures. When I was cycling on the street, many people greeted me and congratulated me, which made me feel embarrassed and ashamed.

Can you tell us more about the opportunity that brought you to cycling even though you were a famous bodybuilder?

- At first, I just wanted to buy a bicycle, to save money compared to riding a motorbike. I am a single mother, my daughter is only 12 years old, so I tried to save money to send her to school.

Moreover, cycling is good for health, not only contributing to the green and clean environment but also helping me to strengthen my thigh muscles in bodybuilding. I have a habit of cycling every day. Seeing other people racing, I also tried it and have been addicted ever since. In the last 4 cycling races I participated in, I won all 4 times.

For the past two years, I have registered to participate in every cycling race and have been lucky to win a medal.

Unless on maternity leave, I won't be a bodybuilding champion.

It is known that before coming to cycling, you were a famous bodybuilder. It seems that last October you even won a double gold medal in bodybuilding at the national competition?

- Since I started competing in professional bodybuilding in 2001, except for 2012 when I gave birth to my daughter and 2023 when I took a break to lose weight, there has never been a year when I did not win the championship. I won gold medals in all 6 national sports competitions.

For many years in a row I won the title of number one bodybuilder in Vietnam, most beautiful female bodybuilder in Vietnam.

In short, in my 23 years of competition, I have won at least one or two gold medals every year. In 2025, I aim to win gold medals at the Southeast Asian and Asian Bodybuilding Championships in July, and the National and World Championships in October.

How do you think bodybuilding helps you when racing bicycles?

- Fitness helps me to have strong legs, strong will when participating in cycling and gives me confidence when participating in competitions. On the contrary, cycling helps to supplement my fitness a lot, burning cardio to help firm and tone my thigh muscles.

People also know that Khanh Lan is very good at soccer, martial arts, it seems like she can play every sport. So has anyone teased her that she lacks gentleness and femininity?

- On the first day of the cycling race, the referees kept mistaking me for a man because they thought I was muscular. Even many male athletes did not look as strong as me, only a few people knew I was the female bodybuilder Khanh Lan so they explained to the referees and were no longer asked to leave the starting line.

I can say that I am unique and different from others because I only like strong male sports such as soccer, martial arts, running, cycling, bodybuilding. In competitions, I only play with men, rarely with women. Generally, I have won high prizes in all the sports I have participated in.

But on the contrary, in real life I also like to wear beautiful dresses like other women, but I have big muscles so there are no suitable dresses to buy and wear. Honestly, when I practice and compete in any sport, I am as strong as men. But in real life I am a bit shy, after all I am a woman.

Athlete Khanh Lan is determined to win many gold medals in bodybuilding and cycling in 2025 (Photo: NVCC).

What are your interests outside of work? What is your favorite motto or saying in life?

- I like to do charity work to help people. I have also donated blood more than 30 times to help many people in need. Generally, people with money will do charity work, I have health so I do it my way, as long as I live with my heart, live for everyone.

I like a saying: "If you have a wolf mentality, success will only be a matter of time." That is the motto I apply in my sports training and competition.

Thanks Khanh Lan for this interesting conversation!

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/tay-dua-nu-viet-nam-vo-dich-chau-a-toi-may-man-khong-bi-chay-xe-o-thai-lan-20250219163106399.htm