Nguyen Hong Trong: Defeating the SEA Games legend, winning the second gold medal for Vietnamese taekwondo.

Athlete Nguyen Hong Trong achieved an outstanding result, defeating Southeast Asian legend Barbosa to bring home the second gold medal for Vietnamese taekwondo at the 33rd SEA Games.

Nguyen Hong Trong and coach Erfan Heydarl (Iran) during the moment of victory.

Photo: Quoc Viet

This gold medal is truly special for Vietnam in taekwondo.

In the semi-finals, Nguyen Hong Trong faced a formidable opponent in Barbosa KB, the taekwondo champion in the 54 kg weight category for three consecutive SEA Games (2019, 2021, 2023) and a participant in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Despite facing a very strong opponent, Hong Trong – who was only participating in his second SEA Games and had no titles yet – played very confidently, winning 2-1 (18-5, 6-15, 11-4) to brilliantly reach the final, creating one of the biggest surprises in taekwondo at the 33rd SEA Games.

On the mat at Fashion Island shopping mall in Bangkok, Hong Trong secured a thrilling 2-1 victory (16-8, 8-10, 10-5) against his opponent Tumakaka (Indonesia), defeating him with a series of precise blows in the final seconds.

By defeating a three-time SEA Games champion, Nguyen Hong Trong brought home the second gold medal for Vietnamese taekwondo.

Hong Trong attacks in the semi-final match against Barbosa (Philippines).

Photo: Quoc Viet

By defeating a three-time SEA Games champion, Nguyen Hong Trong brought home the second gold medal for Vietnamese taekwondo.

In a moment of overwhelming joy after his incredible victory, Hong Trong emotionally said: "I am truly very happy today because I have overcome myself."

"From the semi-finals onwards, I defeated Barbosa, who had won the SEA Games three times in a row and had previously qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. He was a very strong opponent, but I managed to overcome him."

A sound strategy

In both the semi-final and final matches, Nguyen Hong Trong faced intense attacks from his opponents, often battling point by point, and even falling behind at times. However, he remained calm and composed thanks to the sound guidance of the coaching staff.

Nguyen Hong Trong's brilliant gold medal

Photo: Quoc Viet

Hong Trong's moment of victory in the breathtaking final match against Tumakaka.

Photo: Quoc Viet

Hong Trong expressed: "Today, I mainly used kicks, taking advantage of my long legs, which is also my signature move, while the high kicks were just a diversion. This is my second SEA Games, my first time winning a medal and also a gold medal, it's amazing."

In his moment of victory, the young man born in 2004 in An Giang expressed his gratitude to everyone who had always believed in and supported him, enabling him to win Vietnam's second taekwondo gold medal.

"At this moment, the first thing I think of is my teammates, my teachers, and my family who have supported me so much. Right now, I am very happy and grateful to my teachers who have always supported, taught, and guided me to win my first medal at the SEA Games, and such a valuable gold medal today," Hong Trong said emotionally.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nguyen-hong-trong-danh-bai-tuong-dai-sea-games-doat-hcv-thu-2-cho-taekwondo-viet-nam-185251211165022402.htm