The gold medal caused a "shock" in the bowling world.

By defeating home favorite Napat Buspanikonkul 235-210 to win the gold medal in bowling, high school student Tran Hoang Khoi surprised everyone.

A convincing victory

One of the most emotional moments in Vietnamese sports history occurred at the 33rd SEA Games when Tran Hoang Khoi, a 16-year-old student in 11th grade in Hanoi, brilliantly won the gold medal in the men's singles bowling event. This victory not only surprised regional experts but also marked an unprecedented milestone for Vietnamese bowling at the SEA Games.

Tran Hoang Khoi, the young champion of Vietnamese sports. (Photo: TTBASSOCIATION)

In the final match held on the afternoon of December 14th, Tran Hoang Khoi displayed great composure to defeat his Thai opponent, Napat Buspanikonkul. Despite the pressure from the home crowd and a seasoned opponent, the young Vietnamese shooter maintained high concentration, making 9 strikes (one shot knocking down all 10 pins) and 2 spares (9 pins + 1), thereby creating a dominant position and closing the match with a convincing 235-210 victory.

Tran Hoang Khoi's journey to the championship became even more memorable when, before that, the young player successively overcame very strong opponents such as Mike Ong Jing Loong (Singapore) in the quarterfinals and Mark Jesus San Jose (Philippines) in the semifinals. Defeating the home team's representative in the decisive match helped the 16-year-old shooter claim the top spot, much to the surprise of the fans.

Beyond expectations

Bowling was not expected to bring home any medals for Vietnam at the 33rd SEA Games. With a limited squad and less favorable training conditions compared to regional competitors, the Vietnamese bowling team's goal was to surpass their own previous performance and improve their results. However, Tran Hoang Khoi's historic achievement far exceeded expectations, giving Vietnamese bowling its first-ever top victory at a SEA Games.

Born in 2009, Tran Hoang Khoi is considered one of the most promising young talents in Vietnamese bowling. Hoang Khoi won the U13 Thailand Open in 2022 and the gold medal in the men's singles at the 2024 National Strong Teams Bowling Championship. These achievements demonstrate the great potential of the young bowler, but his SEA Games victory while still a student was still beyond expectations.

Tran Hoang Khoi's victory is not only significant in terms of achievement, but also opens up new hope for Vietnamese bowling in regional competitions. From a sport that received little attention, bowling will certainly receive a strong boost thanks to this historic gold medal.

11th-grade student Tran Hoang Khoi has become one of the youngest athletes to ever win a SEA Games gold medal for Vietnamese sports, continuing the inspiring stories of 15-year-old golfer Le Khanh Hung, who won the individual gold medal at the 32nd SEA Games two years ago.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tam-hcv-gay-soc-lang-bowling-196251215220246422.htm