Fighter Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat triumphs in the men’s 57kg Muay Thai on July 17. (Photo: thethao.vn) Nhat narrowly beat Kazakhstan’s Almaz Sarsembekov 29 – 28 after three rounds, claiming the first World Games gold in his career.
Before Nhat, Vietnamese wushu athlete Duong Thuy Vi took a gold medal in the women’s jianshu and qiangshu on July 13.
With two golds this year, Vietnam has achieved the best-ever performance at a World Games. It finished 31st overall in the medal standings.
The 11th World Games was held in Birmingham, Alabama, the US, from July 7 – 17, featuring more than 3,600 athletes competing in 30 sports.
The Games is an international multi-sport event, meant for sports, disciplines or events within a sport that are not contested in the Olympic Games. The Games are usually held one year after the Olympics.
It is governed by the International World Games Association, under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee. The first Games was organised in 1981 in the US.
The 11th Games were scheduled for 2021 but were delayed after the Tokyo Games were moved from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vietnam has taken part in several editions of the World Games, and Vietnamese athletes grabbed a gold in the 2009 Games in Chinese Taipei; a gold and a silver in 2013 in Colombia; and a gold in 2017 in Poland./.
VNA
