Vietnamese-American star injured, Vietnamese women's basketball team unable to defend gold medal.

The unfortunate injury to Vietnamese-American athlete Truong Thao Vy led to a disappointing loss for the women's 3x3 basketball team at the 33rd SEA Games.

Truong Thao My was helpless against the Indonesian naturalized athlete Kimberley Pierre Louis - Photo: NAM TRAN

On the afternoon of December 11th, the Vietnamese women's 3x3 basketball team played their semi-final match against Indonesia at the 33rd SEA Games. This is the event in which the Vietnamese girls previously won a historic gold medal in Cambodia.

However, they entered the crucial match against Indonesia without one of their two Vietnamese-born stars, Truong Thao Vy. In the group stage, when they faced Thailand, she suffered an injury after a strong collision with a Thai athlete . Therefore, Thao Vy had to sit out and watch her three teammates, Truong Thao My, Bui Thu Hang, and Nguyen Thi Tieu Duy, compete.

Despite losing to Thailand in their opening match, the Vietnamese women's 3x3 basketball team still managed to advance through the group stage. However, in the semi-finals, they faced a formidable challenge. Indonesia boasted a Canadian-born naturalized player , Kimberley Pierre Louis, who stands at 1.83m tall and possesses a much larger physique than the Vietnamese girls.

Truong Thao Vy (number 14) suffered an unfortunate injury and was unable to contribute much - Photo: NAM TRAN

Nevertheless, she occasionally took to the court and even scored points with her limping leg - Photo: NAM TRAN

Actually, in the semi-finals of the 2023 SEA Games, the Vietnamese team had already beaten Indonesia despite the Indonesian team having Kimberley. But this time, the challenge is too great as Truong Thao Vy has to sit out.

In the opening minutes, the Vietnamese 3x3 basketball team had the advantage, leading 8-3. But then Kimberley single-handedly carried the Indonesian team with his shielding and physical strength to get to the net. His high spirits led to several accurate two-point shots.

On the Vietnamese side, Truong Thao My played very hard, but she had to concede defeat to Kimberly's strength. Tieu Duy and Bui Thi Hang struggled even more. As time ran out, the Vietnamese team became increasingly frustrated. This forced Thao Vy to enter the court despite limping. And the combined efforts of all four players helped the team equalize the score at 18-18 in the final few seconds.

The match went into overtime (OT). Despite having opportunities, the Vietnamese team couldn't capitalize as Kimberly covered the entire area around the basket. Ultimately, Indonesia scored two crucial points and finished the game with a thrilling 20-18 victory.

It can be said that Truong Thao Vy's unfortunate injury partly caused the entire team to miss the opportunity to reach the final and defend their gold medal. Notably, just a few weeks ago, she had represented the Ho Chi Minh City and Southern region sports delegation in taking the oath at the send-off ceremony for the 33rd SEA Games.

Following this defeat, the women's 3x3 basketball team will play in the bronze medal match later that evening.

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DUC KHUE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sao-viet-kieu-chan-thuong-bong-ro-nu-viet-nam-khong-the-bao-ve-hcv-2025121116241087.htm