Nguyễn Quốc Huân (born October 2, 1981 in

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

) is a Vietnamese

taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

practitioner, who competed in the men's flyweight category. He claimed a silver medal in the 58-kg division at the

2005 Southeast Asian Games The 2005 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, were a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines. This was the third time the Philippines hosted the games and its first time since 1991. ...

Manila, Philippines Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on the island of Luzon, it is ...

, and finished fifth at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

, representing his nation

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. Nguyen is also the elder brother and a personal coach of Nguyen Quoc Cuong, who claimed the bronze medal in the boys' 55 kg category at the inaugural

Youth Olympic Games Youth Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes aged 15 to 18 years old. Organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consistent with ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

in 2010. Nguyen qualified for the Vietnamese squad in the men's flyweight class (58 kg) at the

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, by granting a berth and placing fifth from the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament in

Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. Nguyen edged past Russia's

Seyfula Magomedov Seyfula Seferovich Magomedov (; born May 15, 1983, in Makhachkala, Dagestan ASSR) is a Russian taekwondo practitioner, who competed in the men's flyweight category, the first ever four-time European Taekwondo Champion. Emerging as Russia's most d ...

in his opening match 12–10, and then yielded a startling 4–2 victory over his British opponent Paul Green in the quarterfinals. Fighting against his Mexico's Óscar Salazar in the semifinals, Nguyen had collected a knee injury which his Mexican opponent ruthlessly exploited and ended the match in a painful 0–8 defeat. In the repechage, Nguyen slipped his chance for Vietnam's first Olympic medal at these Games after he was cautiously beaten by Spain's

Juan Antonio Ramos Juan Antonio Ramos Sánchez (born 18 August 1976 in Barcelona) is a Spanish taekwondo practitioner. He is a two-time world champion, winning the finweight title in 1997 and the flyweight title in 2007. He also competed for Spain at the ...

0–8 in his first playoff, relegating Nguyen to fifth.

References

External links

* * 1981 births Living people Vietnamese male taekwondo practitioners Olympic taekwondo practitioners for Vietnam Taekwondo practitioners at the 2004 Summer Olympics Taekwondo practitioners at the 2002 Asian Games Martial artists from Hanoi SEA Games silver medalists for Vietnam SEA Games medalists in taekwondo Competitors at the 2005 SEA Games Asian Games competitors for Vietnam 21st-century Vietnamese sportsmen {{Vietnam-taekwondo-bio-stub