The national karate team will take part in the ninth Asian Karate Championship on Sept. 25 with the aim of earning at least one gold medal, said Vu Son Ha, chief of the karatedo section of the National Sports Administration.

According to Ha, Vietnam will participate in two events of the tourney, namely kata (performance) and kumite (combat). This is a good chance for Vietnamese martial artists to prepare for the 25 th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Laos this December.

“Nguyen Hoang Ngan and Vu Thi Nguyet Anh are two candidates for the gold in the kata and kumite events. Currently, their fitness and skill levels are good.

“Furthermore, other young talents such as Ngoc Thanh and Hai Yen, who recovered from a knee operation earlier this year, could also bring home medals,” said Ha.

Top karate performer Ngan won gold in the women’s kata event at the World Games in Kaoshiung City , Taiwan in July. Kumite fighter Anh won the gold medal at the SEA Games in the Philippines and Asian Games in Doha .

The 17-member squad, which includes both young and veteran martial artists, will compete at the three-day event until Sept. 27 in Guangdong , China .

“All countries, who will take part in the SEA Games, will partake in this tournament. So it will be a good chance to observe our rivals ahead of the SEA Games and develop detailed lesson plans to suit each athlete,” Ha added.

Ha said that Vietnamese karate team is confident it will finish within the top two at the SEA Games with six golds.

“In preparation for the coming Games, the coaching board set up plans and specific targets for each competitor. They sharpened their skills through a long-term training programme in Japan and in competitions at the Republic of Korea , Turkey , Germany and Denmark Opens.

After the tourney, the Vietnamese athletes will participate in the World Youth Karate Tournhamentto be held in November before going to the SEA Games in Laos./.