SEA Games in tears for taekwondo fighter Kim Tuyen

SEA Games trong nước mắt của võ sĩ taekwondo Kim Tuyền - Ảnh 1. — Truong Thi Kim Tuyen (left) in the semi-final match where she lost to Kamonchanok - Photo: NK

On the afternoon of December 12th, Vietnamese taekwondo fighter Truong Thi Kim Tuyen lost to Kamonchanok Seeken (Thailand) 0-2 in the semi-finals of the women's under 49kg category at the 33rd SEA Games.

Before the 33rd SEA Games, Kim Tuyen had high hopes of winning the gold medal. This was because her biggest rival, Panipak Wongpattanakit (Thailand), had retired after successfully defending his gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

For nearly 10 years, Panipak dominated the women's under 49kg weight class, proving to be an unbeatable opponent for Kim Tuyen. At the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, Panipak defeated Kim Tuyen in the final. And at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Panipak beat Kim Tuyen in the quarterfinals.

Kim Tuyen started her SEA Games 33 campaign with a 2-0 victory over Nadia Ishak (Malaysia) in the quarterfinals. Her 21-year-old opponent was far too inexperienced for Kim Tuyen.

But ultimately, Kim Tuyen was eliminated in the semi-finals. The 28-year-old lost to Kamonchanok Seeken, another Thai fighter who was only 19 years old. Notably, Kamonchanok had only recently moved up from the 46kg weight class to compete in the 49kg class, replacing Panipak.

SEA Games trong nước mắt của võ sĩ taekwondo Kim Tuyền - Ảnh 2. — Kim Tuyen sadly leaves the ring after losing to the Thai fighter in the semi-finals - Photo: NK

With her youth and good skills, Kamonchanok continuously attacked with many high kicks, causing Kim Tuyen a lot of difficulties.

In the first two minutes of the first round, the Thai girl led 11-0, including three kicks scoring three points. In the remaining minute, Kim Tuyen scored 11 points, but Kamonchanok added another 10 points to win the first round 21-11.

In the second set, Kamonchanok continued to lead 8-2 and then won the set 9-7 to advance to the final. The defeat left Kim Tuyen in tears as she left the mat. She cried and was comforted by the Korean expert who hugged her.

But Kim Tuyen's tears continued to fall on her way back inside the training area. Seeing the media cameras, Kim Tuyen quickly moved away, but there were also many reporters standing there, forcing her and coach Vu Anh Tuan to find another way out.

Losing to a much younger opponent, especially with her strongest competitor having retired, was a bitter pill to swallow for Kim Tuyen. This was also almost certainly her last SEA Games, as she would be 30 in two years, and her opponents would be even stronger.