Bui Thi Ngoc Han. — Photo baocantho

HANOI (VNS) — Viet Nam will send 18 young martial artists to compete in the Asian Junior Karate Championships in Kuala Lumpur on August 8-11.

Medal hopes are high for the Vietnamese squad following the recent Thailand Open, where both Nguyen Van Nhat and Bui Thi Ngoc Han won gold medals and Ho Dinh Thuan took home silver.

The three-day event will see martial artists from about 40 countries and territories, including top competitors Iran, Japan and Kazakhstan, vie for medals.

The championship event will also allow the Vietnamese team to prepare in the lead up to the Asian Games to be held in Incheon, South Korea later this year.

Viet Nam took home only one gold medal from the event last year. — VNS