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Vietnamese athletes have been asked to go above and beyond to defend their titles at the Asian Karate Championships, which will be held from May 20 to 25 in Uzbekistan.
Karate
Nguyễn Thị Ngoan (left) competes to win the gold medal at last year's Asian Karate Championships. She will defend her 68kg title this year in Uzbekistan. Photo courtesy of AKF
HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese athletes have been asked to go above and beyond to defend their titles at the Asian Karate Championships, which will be held from May 20 to 25 in Uzbekistan.
The nation's best fighters, including Nguyễn Thị Ngoan, Hoàng Thị Mỹ Tâm, Đinh Thị Hương, Bùi Ngọc Nhi and Nguyễn Ngọc Trâm on the women's side and Chu Văn Đức, Khuất Hải Nam and Giang Việt Anh for the men's will shoulder the heavy task.
They will go up against around 300 competitors from 29 countries and regions. Among these, Japan, Kazakhstan, China, Iran and Malaysia are powerhouses to beat.
“We have picked our strongest martial artists for the continental tournament. It is an important event that draws in Asian elites. We will have to fight with caution, but make use of all opportunities to win," coach Dương Hoàng Long said.
Last year's competition marked the first time that Vietnamese karakas advanced to five finals at a continental event. They secured three golds, two silvers and one bronze.
The winners were Tâm in the women's 55kg category, Ngoan in the women's 68kg and quartet Hương, Tâm, Ngoan and Nguyễn Thị Diệu Ly in the women's kumite (combat) team.
After Uzbekistan, Việt Nam will participate in the world championships in October in Egypt. VNS
