Vietnam claims 1st medal at 2026 Youth Olympic Games

Early on Wednesday (Vietnam time), Hoang competed in the men’s taiji final.

As Vietnam’s only wushu representative at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the 18-year-old seized his opportunity to make his mark.

The men’s taiji event featured 12 athletes, each performing two routines – taijiquan and taiji fan – in the qualifying round.

The top eight advanced to the final.

After progressing through the qualifiers, Hoang maintained his consistent form. 

He scored 9.346 points in the taijiquan routine to rank third, then earned another 9.346 points in the taiji fan routine to finish second.

With a combined score of 18.692 points, Hoang took the silver medal, finishing just 0.028 points behind champion Poon Hao Ran of Hong Kong.

The achievement was particularly significant as wushu made its debut at the Youth Olympic Games.

Vietnam was allocated just one place in the sport, and Hoang rewarded that opportunity with a podium finish.

Hoang is enjoying a memorable year. 

Before the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, he won a gold medal at the World Taijiquan Championships in Bulgaria.

As of Wednesday, Vietnamese athletes had competed in badminton, swimming, and wushu at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

The event is taking place in Senegal from October 31 to November 13, bringing together around 2,700 athletes competing in 25 sports. This marks the first time an Olympic edition has been held in Africa.

Vietnam sent an 18-member delegation to the Games, including 10 athletes competing in seven sports: beach wrestling, wushu, swimming, taekwondo, badminton, cycling, and athletics.

With a relatively small team, Vietnam is aiming to secure medals, with beach wrestling and wushu considered its strongest medal prospects.

Established by the International Olympic Committee in 2010 for athletes aged 18 and under, the Youth Olympic Games have witnessed several historic achievements by Vietnamese athletes, including gold medals won by Thach Kim Tuan in weightlifting in 2010, Nguyen Thi Anh Vien in swimming in 2014, Nguyen Huy Hoang in swimming in 2018, and Ngo Son Dinh in weightlifting in 2018.