Vietnamese trio Nguyen Thu Ngan, Chau Tuyet Van and Nguyen Thi Le Kim snatched a gold medal at the first day of the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Bali, Indonesia, yesterday.— Photo bongda

HA NOI (VNS) — Vietnamese trio Nguyen Thu Ngan, Chau Tuyet Van and Nguyen Thi Le Kim snatched a gold medal at the first day of the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Bali, Indonesia, yesterday.

The team edged to glory in the female Under-29 category with 7.94 points. They were closely followed by Iran (7.92) in second, while the Thais (7.89) and Chinese Taipei (7.78) shared third place.

It was a sweet comeback for the Vietnamese after the disappointment of failing to defend their title last year in Colombia.

The gold marked the dominant outfit's third triumph in four years.

Earlier, their teammate Nguyen Minh Van finished second in the male U17 individual event, a slight improvement after last year finishing third.

Meanwhile, duo Le Thanh Trung and Thoi Thi Minh Thuy came third in the freestyle mixed pairs.

Viet Nam's 24-member team, its biggest and best ever, will compete in 17 out of the 22 available categories.

The championships, which ends on November 3, has attracted nearly 500 athletes from 49 countries and territories.

At last year's tournament in Tunja, Colombia, Viet Nam pocketed one gold, five silvers and two bronze medals. — VNS