 Nguyen training in the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships training hall | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Nguyễn Thẩm |
| Nickname(s) | Thammy, Miss Muscles |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Born | 15 September 1996 Vietnam |
| Weight | 49.00 kg (108 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sport | Weightlifting |
| Event | 49 kg |
| Club | CrossFit Baldoyle Weightlifting Club |
| Coached by | Mohamed Faizal Baharom, Beata Jung, Mark Gough |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests | |
Tham Nguyen Gough[1] (/θjæm wɪn/; Vietnamese: Nguyễn Thẩm, [ŋwiən˦ˀ˥˦ tʰaːm˧˩]; born 15 September 1996) is a Vietnamese-born Irish weightlifter and entrepreneur, known for being the first Irish weightlifter to win a senior medal at the European Weightlifting Championships.[2]
Early life
Tham Nguyen Gough (born Nguyễn Thẩm) was born on 15 September 1996 in Vietnam to Lai and Thuy Nguyen, where she, her parents, and her brother, Nhat, immigrated to Ireland in 2003 when she was six years old. She and her father arrived first before her brother and mother followed the following year. Living first in Belturbet, then Santry, before settling in Clarehall.[3] She said that life was hard that sometimes her family could not afford food.[4]
Nguyens' father interest in sport made her and her brother pursue careers in sports, stating she was active growing up pursuing Irish dancing. Her parents opened a Chinese takeaway in 2012 to support the family, where she along with her brother manages it from time to time. She started going to the gym at sixteen years of age, then after speaking to a young woman who did CrossFit, she then joined a CrossFit gym. A coach at the gym noticed her performance and encouraged her to try out weightlifting.[5]
Career
2015–2016
After her first competition, she qualified for the 2015 European Junior & U23 Weightlifting Championships competing in the women's 53 kg category being the first woman to represent Ireland at the competition. She finished eighth overall.[5][6] The same year, she competed at the 2015 World Weightlifting Championships being the first Irish female weightlifter to compete at the World Weightlifting Championships.[7] She placed 35th in the women's 48 kg category dropping some weight.[8]
The following year, Nguyen competed at the 2016 European Weightlifting Championships placing 21st in the women's 53 kg category.[9] Then competing at the 2016 Junior World Weightlifting Championships where she placed 15th in the same category.[10]
Return to competition
After seeing her brother, Nhat, at the 2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Tokyo, Japan, she said she "remembered the goal she set for herself many years ago", saying she felt disheartened when she did not achieve the goal. After remembering the goal she set, she went back to training.[5]
2022–2023
Her first competition after stopping for six years was the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships, she placed 20th. She snatched 73 kg, and clean and jerked 93 kg for a 166 kg total.[11]
The following year, she competed at the 2023 European Weightlifting Championships, snatching a competition best of 75 kg and clean and jerking another competition best of 98 kg becoming the first Irish weightlifter to win a senior European Weightlifting Championships medal, a bronze, and becoming the first Irish female weightlifter to lift twice her own weight. She finished ninth overall in the women's 49 kg category.[12] She then competed at the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships, competing in the same category, snatching 76 kg, a new national record, and clean and jerking 96 kg, with a 172 kg total placing 19th.[13]
Major results
| Year | Venue | Weight | Snatch (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Total | Rank | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | |||||
Representing  Ireland | ||||||||||||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2015 |  Houston, United States | 48 kg | 54 | 57 | 36 | 73 | 36 | 130 | 35 | |||
| 2022 |  Bogotá, Colombia | 49 kg | 73 | 24 | 93 | 23 | 166 | 20 | ||||
| 2023 |  Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 49 kg | 74 | 76 | 19 | 96 | 21 | 172 | 19 | |||
| European Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2016 |  Førde, Norway | 53 kg | 60 | 23 | 72 | 22 | 132 | 21 | ||||
| 2023 |  Yerevan, Armenia | 49 kg | 73 | 75 | 6 | 96 | 98 |  | 173 | 5 | ||
| Junior World Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2016 |  Tbilisi, Georgia | 53 kg | 61 | 64 | 66 | 15 | 75 | 78 | 82 | 14 | 148 | 15 |
| European Junior Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2015 |  Klaipeda, Lithuania | 53 kg | 54 | 57 | 8 | 72 | 75 | 8 | 132 | 8 | ||
Personal life
Nguyen has a brother named Nhat Nguyen who is an international badminton player who competed at the Summer Olympics representing Ireland.[1] She has a cousin named Ly.[4]
She has a husband named Mark Gough, whom she has two children with him, Lilly and Marc. She owns and operates two salons and a clothing brand to support her weightlifting career.[4][5] She and her husband had opened up a CrossFit gym in Baldoyle.[5]
References
- 1 2 Mannion, Eleanor (13 July 2021). "Irish athlete's inspiring journey to the Olympics". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ Jackson, Kieran (26 April 2023). "THAM NGUYEN NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS". Olympic Federation of Ireland. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ Nolan, Hazel (22 April 2023). "Young Dublin businesswoman pursues Olympic dream". FM104. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- 1 2 3 Mulvaney, Amy (24 September 2017). "Meet the 21-year-old Irish woman who went from being unable to afford food to owning a booming beauty business". Independent.ie. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Gardiner, Jessica (26 May 2023). "Thammy Nguyen – "Put The Hard Work In And Go Achieve Your Goal Because Nobody Else Is Going To Achieve It For You."". Her Sport. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ "2015 European Junior Weightlifting Championships Results". International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ Oliver, Brian (20 November 2015). "This teen will today become the first Irish female to compete at the weightlifting World Championships". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ "2015 World Weightlifting Championships Results". International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ "2016 European Weightlifting Championships Results Book" (PDF). European Weightlifting Federation. 16 April 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ "2016 Junior World Weightlifting Championships Results". International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ "2022 World Weightlifting Championships Results". International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ Oliver, Brian (15 April 2023). "First ever medal for Ireland and records for Romania at European Weightlifting Championships". InsideTheGames. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ Oliver, Brian (4 September 2023). "It's boom time for weightlifting in Ireland as country sends team of six to World Championships". InsideTheGames. Retrieved 10 September 2023.