VietNamNet Bridge – Injured karateist Nguyen Hoang Ngan will not defend her kata (performance) title at the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games' in November in Indonesia.
Ngan is currently recovering from a torn knee ligament and will not be fit for the 26th biannual sports event.


"Despite recovering well, Ngan will not be able to compete for several months. Her injury is serious and needs at least one year to get better. For the sake of her future, we cannot force her to compete at the SEA Games," said coach Pham Quoc Trong.


"We hope Ngan will be back next year and take part in the world and Asian championships," Trong added.


The two-time world kata champion injured her knee while warming up for the final of the world championship last year.

The two-time Asian gold medallist was forced to pull out of the tournament.


The injury also forced her to withdraw from last November's Asian Games.


The 27-year-old won four SEA Games titles in a row, the first in 2003.


VietNamNet/Viet Nam News