Nguyen Thi Phuong, Nguyen Ngoc Tram and Luu Thi Thu Uyen grabbed the first gold medal for Vietnam in the women’s Kata (demonstration) event.
The other four titles were won in the Kumite (combat) categories thanks to the exemplary performances of key martial artists Hoang Thi My Tam (women’s under-55kg), Nguyen Thi Ngoan (women’s under-61kg), Ho Thi Thu Hien (women’s under-68kg), and Tran Le Tan Dat (men’s 84kg+).
Indonesia came in second place with five golds, three silvers and six bronzes, while Malaysia claimed third place overall, bagging five golds, three silvers and four bronzes.
With the participation of 200 athletes from nine countries in the region, the tournament is considered an important warm-up for teams to evaluate their training efficiency ahead of the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), which are set to be hosted in Vietnam this May.
At SEA Games 30 in the Philippines, Vietnam’s karate team ranked third with two gold, three silver and six bronze medals, behind Thailand and Malaysia.
Karate at SEA Games 31 will take place from May 16 to 20, featuring 15 Kumite and Kata events – seven for men and eight for women.
