Asian Games 

NAGOYA — Việt Nam won their second gold medal at the 20th Asian Games (ASIAD) after the sepak takraw team dominated the women's doubles event on September 29 in Nagoya, Japan.

Nguyễn Thị Thu Trang, Nguyễn Thị Khánh Ly and substitute Lê Thị Hồng Liên defeated Salon Nelly Jay, Sucalit Jean Marie and Sinogbuhan Abegail of the Philippines 15-8, 15-4 in the final match at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Gymnasium.

The victory ended Việt Nam's 20-year title drought in sepak takraw after they topped the podium in 2006 in Doha, Qatar.

"We are extremely happy and proud to win the second gold for Việt Nam in this ASIAD," said Trang.

"We were really shocked after losing to Laos in the first match of the tournament. But the defeat however became motivation for us to perform better and stronger to beat Myanmar, Malaysia and South Korea to advance to the final.

"We were really confident in the gold-medal match. It was the last game and we encouraged and told each other to be the best of the best.

'We decided to keep our uniforms unwashed after our second win against Myanmar, hoping to maintain our winning streak. Even our coaches have kept wearing the same attire!"

World reigning champions Việt Nam made a strong start. Trang and Ly quickly established leads of 4-2, 5-2, and then 7-3 against the Filipinos who beat Laos 2-0 in the semis.

Ly particularly stood out with effective net shots and solid defensive play meanwhile Trang excelled in her playmaking role, helping Việt Nam maintain the lead from the begining.

The result was 10-6 and 12-7 before Việt Nam ended the first set with a 15-8 win.

The Vietnamese duo continued dominating in the second set, giving their rivals no chance to either open attacks or resist their strong shots. They led 7-2, 10-3 before wrapping up 15-4 to seal the title for Việt Nam.

Head coach Nguyễn Thị Vui was as excited as her players, saying it was a perfect performance.

“I told them that their better height was an advantage in this match," Vui said.

"It helped them to not only stop the Philippine attacks but also to play over their block. If they could kick the ball correctly on the court, the rivals would have no way to resist.

"They did it perfectly, especially Ly, she had her peak day scoring in almost all of her attempts."

It was the second medal for the sepak takraw team. The men's squad took a bronze in the regu (team of three) event after losing 0-2 to Thailand in the semi-finals on September 28.

Việt Nam still have oppotunities to earn more titles as the men's and women's quadrant (team of four) will begin their competitions on September 30. Among them, the women are defending champions.

After the victory, the team received a bonus of VNĐ200 million (US$7,700) from Việt Nam Chef-de-mission Nguyễn Hồng Minh meanwhile another VNĐ280 million for each player when they return home.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lâm Thị Phương Thanh sent a congratulation message to the champions.

She shared the happiness with the squad and hoped that the victory would motivate the entire team, especially those who were to play in the next day, to strive their best and help Việt Nam top the podium again.

Việt Nam's first ASIAD gold went to the women's kata team who won gold on September 22.

Việt Nam currently have two golds, one silver and 17 bronze medals to place No 20 in the overall tally. — VNS