Nine Vietnamese young fighters took to the mat on November 16 during the opening day of the 11th WTF World Taekwondo Junior Championships at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre in Burnaby, Canada.

Ho Thi Kim Ngan, 15, defeated Croatian rival Carderon Maria and won a gold medal in the girls 44kg category. In the qualifying rounds, the young martial artist from An Giang Province beat Argentinian rival Tournier Sofia 6-3 and Korean rival Lee Ye Ji 9-2.

She then emerged victorious over Taiwanese rival Chen Jieh Die 6-4 in the quarter-finals and Philippine rival Valdez Abigial 3-1 in the semi-finals.

Vietnam has fielded a young team of three boys – Hoang Minh Hung, Nguyen Minh Thang, Pham Dang Quang – and six girls – Ho Thi Kim Ngan, Do Thi Hien, Vu Thi Dung, Bac Thi Khiem, Nguyen Thi Kim Tuyen and Nguyen Thi Hong Han – at the competition. 

VOV