Hoang Quy Phuoc, the holder of 13 Vietnamese national records, recently told a Hanoi newspaper that he would have had a more successful career had he been provided a proper training plan.
Phuoc has trained under a many different coaches, and in a recent interview with the Tuoi Tre newspaper in Hanoi he said that his inconsistent regimen prevented him from further success.
The butterflier and sprint freestyler won the men’s 200m free and took third in the 100m free at this year’s Southeast Asia Games.
In 2011, he became the first Vietnamese swimmer to break a SEA Championship Record in the meet’s history. At the 2011 Southeast Asia Games, he broke Singaporean Joe Schooling’s 100m fly record, but Schooling has since taken the record back and lowered it by close to two seconds.
After Phuoc’s historic swim, he was on track to come to the U.S. and train in 2012, but he ended up returning home early due to a disagreement between his two coaches.
He has also trained in Australia, China, and Japan.
“I can confirm that Hoang Quy Phuoc is a rare swimming talent of Vietnam but we have caused him to fail due to our inconsistent plan for his training,” Nguyen Hong Minh, head of the Vietnamese sports delegation, told a Vietnamese website.
Currently, Phuoc is undergoing treatment for a back injury at the Vietnam Sports Hospital in Hanoi.