Tran Thi Ngoc Tram was the only Vietnamese to take home a medal at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Zheng Zhou, China, on Sunday, winning bronze in the women’s over-72kg category.

 

The country’s other three athletes, including Southeast Asian Games defending champions Nguyen Trong Cuong and Nguyen Minh Hieu, all failed their games on Sunday. Both Cuong and Hieu lost to their opponents from Chinese Taipei and Jordan, respectively, in late third sets.

The organisation board applied a new scoring system using electronic armour the athletes wear during competition. This was the first time the Vietnamese athletes used the gear in the 18 year-long history of the competition, which proved a disadvantage as they didn’t get a chance to get used to it, said Vietnam head coach Nguyen Dang Khanh.

On the opening day last Saturday, Hoang Ha Giang, who already held a ticket to the Beijing Olympic Games, was the first Vietnamese favourite to fall at the four-day tournament when she lost her under-49kg match.

Asian Youth champion Tran Thi Ngoc Truc and Southeast Asian champion Trinh Kim Tuong Van also suffered early exits after losing their under-52kg and under-72kg matches to South Korean and Lebanese rivals on Saturday.

(Source: Viet Nam News)

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