CNN spotlights Vietnamese wushu athlete Duong Thuy Vi

CNN International has described Duong Thuy Vi as the acrobatic artistry of Vietnam's Wushu champion.

In its Human to Hero series, CNN reported that a star in the martial art of Wushu, the 21-year-old Vietnamese clinched gold at the World Championships and the Southeast Asian Games in 2013 and was crowned champion at the 17th Asian Games held in Incheon, the Republic of Korea last September. Having won numerous titles as a junior - she was a national, regional and world champion - Duong Thuy Vi hasn't tired of the winning feeling in her fledgling senior career.

“She may only be a slip of a woman, but Duong Thuy Vi's athletic talent should not be taken lightly,” said CNN.

Growing up in Hanoi, Duong Thuy Vi wasn't particularly interested in the sport and has an overweight relative to thank for sparking her career into life.

"When I was small, I didn't know anything about Wushu," Duong Thuy Vi shares. "I only knew that martial arts could make you healthy. One of my cousins who was very fat practiced Wushu to lose weight and I asked to come with him."

Her cousin's interest may have waned pretty quickly - "he quit after a week - he is still fat!" she jokes - but Duong Thuy Vi has persevered and now tucks into a rigorous daily diet of exercise, training in both the morning and afternoon six days a week, sometimes longer.

Duong Thuy Vi will have a chance to compete at the World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia this October. She is also expected to successfully defend her champion title at the 28th Southeast Asian Games in June 2015./.

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