Vietnamese taekwondo athlete wins gold medal for willpower

His effort played a decisive role in Vietnam’s taekwondo triumph on the first day of the 33rd SEA Games held in Thailand.

Vietnam’s taekwondo contingent was unable to strike gold in its three most anticipated events, bagging silver in mixed pair standard poomsae and bronze in the women’s team division, while the men’s team finished outside the medal positions.

As such, the burden of winning gold rested on the final event of the day: the mixed team creative poomsae.

Duy’s spectacular finishing move, a nearly four-meter-high leap using his teammates’ support to break a board at the end of the performance, secured gold for Vietnam as Thailand failed to execute the difficult maneuver.

Few, however, knew the intense pain the 24-year-old endured with every jump and strike, particularly when landing from such a height during the final tower-breaking sequence.

He suffered the injury during a training session ahead of the team’s departure for Thailand.

Despite the pain, Duy persisted in training and competing, determined not to miss the major competition.

He had previously sat out the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia two years ago due to injury.

“It has been three years since I last competed at the SEA Games. I finally returned this year after winning gold on home soil in Vietnam,” he shared.

“I didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Though the bruising spread and I couldn’t even stabilize myself, I told myself I had to push through.

“I put ice on the bruise and applied pain relief sprays to keep training and competing.

“The pain afterward was intense, but it was worth it to win gold with my teammates."

His victory carries profound significance in terms of resilience, responsibility, and team spirit.

Duy’s determination and the poomsae team’s success will surely inspire the sparring squad as they aim to bring home more gold for Vietnamese taekwondo.