But it's been an uphill battle for athletes like him facing funding shortfalls, lack of public interest and few training facilities, namely snowy mountains. Like most of his teammates, the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo was his first time seeing snow. "Binh was a fast learner because of his longboarding and surfing skills," said Le Quan, the Vietnam team coach. Binh is hoping to compete at the next Asian Winter Games in 2021 -- if he can find a sponsor. Until then his main focus is on longboarding, with sights set on the Southeast Asian Games in Philippines later this year.

Source: Bangkok Post May 28, 2019 03:45 UTC