VietNamNet Bridge – Beijing Olympian Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu failed to win the first gold medal for Viet Nam at the Asian Games yesterday, Nov 18, losing to Thailand's Phongsri Sarita 4-3 in the women's Taekwondo under-53kg weight category final.


Perfect move: Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu (right) deals a right kick on her Thai rival in the women's under-53kg final of taekwondo event in the Asian Games. Thu bagged a silver medal. (Photo: VNS)
Thu, 25, who took the lead 3-1 in the first bout with a right kick to the face, would have won the gold as the two sides drew in the second bout at Guangdong Gymnasium.


But the Vietnamese athlete could not maintain her momentum in the third round when her Thai rival fought back to win 4-3 with a counter-attack in the last 20 seconds.


It's Viet Nam's ninth silver medal at Asia's biggest sporting event.


Earlier yesterday, Pham Thi Thao and Pham Thi Hue bagged a silver in the women's 2,000m double sculls in rowing event with a time of seven minutes, 17.15 seconds.


Chinese Tian Liang and Jin Ziwei finished first with 7:05.68, while South Korean Eun Ju-im and Young Eun-ko came third.

The country's top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh secured a quarter-final berth in the men's singles after a 21-18, 21-13 win over Thailand's Saensomboonsuk in the final 16.


Minh meets Chinese Lin Dan today.


Viet Nam have won nine silver and 10 bronze medals and are 18th in the medal tally.


VietNamNet/Viet Nam News