Tony Duong Makes Olympia History as the First Vietnamese to Qualify

It’s always a nice feather in the cap if you can say that you’re the first to do something in the IFBB Pro League. Tony Duong (pronounced as “yung”) has that feather as the first Vietnamese athlete to have qualified for the Olympia. The Classic Physique competitor takes great pride in that fact, and he told Dennis James on The Menace Podcast that he wants to build upon that achievement.

“That’s the goal,” Duong said clearly. One way that he sees himself thriving in the future is by having a contest of his own in that part of the world.

“That would be so dope.”

Duong started bodybuilding in 2014. He would compete in the NPC Nationals that year and place fifth in the Men’s Physique division. He would turn pro in that same division less than one year later at the NPC USA’s.

“It was a good starting point, but I knew it wasn’t my whole physique,” Duong admitted. “I knew I had legs potential. I felt like I wasn’t showing enough because I played soccer. I have really good quad sweeps.”

When Duong had turned pro, the next class up was the 212, which would’ve been a big leap. Fortunately, Classic Physique came around during that time, and Duong knew he found his home.

“I was like ‘damn, this is perfect,’” Duong said excitedly. “Even with the weight cap they set, I had another ten pounds to work with.”

He said that he recently weighed around 167 pounds, and the cutoff for his height is 170. Duong is coming off a second-place finish at the 2022 Boston Pro, where he presented his best look to date. In spite of being one of the shorter athletes in the division, he feels he can succeed. He referenced a former Olympia champion as proof.

“Look at Shaun Clarida. He gave a lot of the shorter guys hope,” said Duong. “He went into Open and won the Legion show.”

Duong and James also discuss Vietnamese food, his future goals, and a lot more. Subscribe to the Muscle & Fitness YouTube channel so you can catch past and future episodes of TMP when they air. Don’t forget to follow @themenacepodcast on Instagram as well.