Viet Nam wins gold at Asian karate tournament

Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly won Viet Nam's only gold at the Asian Karate Championships, which wrapped up on June 21 in Indonesia.

Ly was the only fighter advancing to the final match among 20 Vietnamese competitors in both combat and performance disciplines.

The SEA Games champion defeated Kama Tsubasa of Japan 5 1 to take the title in the women's 68kg class, helping Viet Nam complete its target at the continental tournament.

Other athletes won five bronze medals to place Viet Nam at seventh in the medal tally.

Unexpected results came from the women's kumite team, who failed to defend their top position after their defeat in the semi-finals and the women's kata team, who couldn't protect their title, being beaten in the second qualifying round.

Overall, Japan placed first with five golds, followed by Iran with three golds and Kazakhstan with two golds.

The Vietnamese coaching board said the Asian championship was an opportunity for athletes to review their practise plan and know their rivals at the 20th Asian Games in Japan this September.