The family’s journey centers on former provincial athletes Lê Đình Đức, Phạm Thị Xoan, and their eldest daughter Lê Thị Yến Nhi, born in 2009. Nhi most recently secured a silver medal in the 70-kg category at the 2025 World Kickboxing Cup in Thailand, extending the family’s legacy into the international arena.
Xoan’s path began from poverty in Bờ Ngoong commune, where she longed to ease her parents’ burdens. A strong performance at the district-level Phù Đổng Sporting Festival earned her a place at the provincial competition. During her first trip to the province, she discovered that the Provincial Center for Sports Training and Competition was recruiting athletes for traditional martial arts—an opportunity that promised food and accommodation. At age 12, she applied and was selected.
Her talent quickly expanded beyond traditional martial arts to wushu, vovinam, and pencak silat. By 17, she had captured a bronze medal in traditional martial arts at the 2006 National Sports Games, becoming known for her determined fighting style. Alongside fellow athlete Trần Thị Tuyết Nhung, she emerged as one of Gia Lai’s most prominent martial artists.
During her competitive years, Xoan met taekwondo athlete Đức, a native of Đức Cơ district who also came from difficult circumstances. Selected for the provincial taekwondo team with his twin brother in 2007, Đức continued alone when financial necessity required his brother to remain home to support the family.
The couple married in 2009 and stepped away from elite sports. But in 2017, when Gia Lai hosted the National Kickboxing Championship, coach Trần Bảo Sơn urged Xoan to return. After eight years off the mat, the mother of two stunned spectators by winning the gold medal in the 57-kg division. She later served as an assistant coach at the Provincial Center while continuing to compete, ultimately winning a muay bronze medal at the 2022 National Sports Games before ending her professional career.
Meanwhile, Đức left competitive taekwondo and worked at a rubber latex processing plant under Company 74 to provide for the family. Still driven by martial arts, he founded the Đức Cơ Taekwondo Club in 2014. By day he labored at the factory; by night he donned his dobok to teach local children. His club has since produced several provincial athletes, including Nguyễn Công Thịnh, Lê Đình Phúc, and Trần Thị Thúy An.
Xoan now runs PK Boxing Club on Tăng Bạt Hổ Street in Diên Hồng ward, training students in kickboxing, boxing, muay, and gym work. Though modest in scale, the club regularly sends fighters to professional tournaments. At the 2025 Gia Lai Youth Kickboxing Championship, member Lương Phúc Thành captured a gold medal.
“Martial arts have given me everything—from a career to a family,” Xoan said. “I opened a club so future generations might find the same opportunities my husband and I did.”
In 2019, when Xoan returned to the Provincial Center as an assistant coach, daughter Nhi entered the provincial kickboxing team. Inheriting her parents’ discipline and passion, she quickly amassed medals at national competitions before earning her World Cup silver.
“I’m proud my parents were athletes,” Nhi said. “Their example motivates me to work harder so I won’t let them down.”
The family of Đức and Xoan is a truly special case in Gia Lai sports, with both parents and their child having represented the province as athletes. Their contributions go beyond achievements—they have also nurtured talented young athletes, ensuring a strong next generation for the province’s sports teams.”
Director of Pleiku Center for Sports Training and Competition
TRẦN BẢO SƠN