SAN JOSE, CALIF.⸺ Tri Nguyen, a senior at Silver Creek High School showcases self-improvement with swimming and boxing throughout his high school career.

Nguyen became part of the swimming team during his sophomore year and co-founded the boxing club in his junior year alongside Vincent Tran, the boxing club’s president and Senior at Silver Creek High School. Since then, he’s been dedicated to both sports and found interest in doing after-school activities that pushed him to flourish as a student and person.

“I never excelled in team sports so I was attracted to the individual aspect of both sports. When I am fighting, I’m fighting for myself. When I swim, I swim for myself and for my improvement. I have to only rely on myself to win,” said Nguyen.

In particular, Nguyen has a passion for boxing and his performance shines through hard work and dedication. He considers both sports to be equally difficult in cardio and discipline, being consistent with training is what helped Nguyen to strive for his goal of being better. Whether it’s punching a hanging bag or jump-roping, Nguyen pulls all his focus onto enduring actions that would have many people gasping for air. 

“A lot of parts of training for these sports is drilling in your fundamentals. Especially in boxing, you have to be perfect and get your basics down,” said Nguyen.

Although Nguyen does love the individual aspects of these sports, he also loves interacting with his teammates, particularly in swimming. At swim meets, talking with other swimmers from different schools is one of the best moments for Nguyen. One thing that Nguyen prefers in swimming over boxing is the pacing, in that he only needs to focus on getting a better time instead of the intricacies of combos and timing.

What sets Nguyen apart from others is his ability to keep pushing through the challenges he faces, whether it be school work, preparing for the future or the intensive cardio that boxing and swimming provide. 

When asked, “What’s a moment that helped you become who you are today?” Nguyen responded, “When I constantly get hit, I learn from it and ensure it never happens again.”