Nhi Yen submitted her resignation to the Vietnam Sports Administration today, citing personal reasons. The athletics department and administration leadership have accepted her request, effective 1/10/2025.

The Tay Ninh province native (formerly of Long An) is reportedly preparing to study sports at a university in South Korea. She has already completed high school.

Tran Thi Nhi Yen competes in the women's 100m final at the National Athletics Championships on 9/8 in Da Nang. Photo: Duc Dong

Tran Thi Nhi Yen competes in the women's 100m final at the National Athletics Championships on 9/8 in Da Nang. Photo: Duc Dong

Born in 2005 in Can Duoc, formerly part of Long An province, Nhi Yen joined the national track and field team in 2023 after winning the gold medal in the 100m sprint at the 2022 National Games. The then 19-year-old subsequently competed in three major tournaments: the 32nd SEA Games, the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD), and the Asian Athletics Championships.

In 2024, Nhi Yen won the silver medal in the 100m sprint at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships with a time of 11.40 seconds. This year, she secured the bronze medal in the women's 100m sprint at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships with a time of 11.54 seconds.

At the National Athletics Championships in August 2025, she won the silver medal in the 100m sprint with a time of 11.80 seconds and the bronze medal in the 200m sprint with a time of 23.56 seconds.

Nhi Yen also participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics through a wildcard entry in the women's 100m sprint. She had a memorable experience, leading the second preliminary heat with a time of 11.81 seconds. In the subsequent qualifying round, she achieved a time of 11.79 seconds but didn't advance to the semifinals.

Recently, World Athletics (WA) changed its regulations on gender verification. From 1/9/2025, all athletes wishing to compete in women's events must undergo gender verification using SRY gene testing, which identifies the male sex-determining gene. Athletes must undergo a one-time test involving a buccal swab or dried blood spot. Athletes with a positive result (presence of the SRY gene) will be excluded from women's competitions, except in special cases such as differences in sex development (DSD), where the athlete's competitive ability is not dependent on testosterone, as per the previous method.

Duc Dong