Taekwondo fighter Tran Ho Duy: A gold medal of willpower.

Taekwondo athlete Tran Ho Duy limped off the mat after winning the gold medal in the team creative poomsae event.

Ho Duy's powerful shot from a height of nearly 4 meters - Photo: NK

He gritted his teeth and endured the pain of a crushed heel injury to perform excellently, making a significant contribution to Vietnam's taekwondo victory on the first day of competition yesterday (December 10).

Vietnamese Taekwondo failed in all three expected events: mixed doubles standard poomsae (silver medal), men's team standard poomsae, and women's team standard poomsae (bronze medal). The burden of winning a gold medal therefore fell on the final event of the day: team creative poomsae.

Trần Hồ Duy's move, using his teammate as a springboard to leap nearly 4 meters into the air and shatter the wooden board at the end of his performance, helped Vietnam win the gold medal in taekwondo, as Thailand was unable to execute this difficult move well afterward.

But few people know how much pain the 24-year-old athlete endured with each jumping kick in his performance. Especially when he landed on the mat from a height of nearly 4 meters during the final tower-breaking segment. This was due to a crushed heel he suffered during training before heading to Thailand.

The more he trained, the more pain he felt, but Ho Duy still endured the pain to train and compete so as not to miss another major tournament, after having already missed the SEA Games 32 in Cambodia two years ago due to injury.

"It's been three years since I returned to the SEA Games, after winning a gold medal in Vietnam. I didn't want to miss my chance. The bruising was spreading, and I couldn't stand properly, but I still told myself to try. I applied ice and used painkiller spray to train and compete. So, even though I was sore and in pain after finishing the competition, it was worth it because I was able to win the gold medal with my teammates," he said.

Not only did Ho Duy win the first gold medal for Vietnamese taekwondo at the SEA Games 33, but the gold medal he and his teammates achieved also clearly holds great significance in terms of overcoming injury, responsibility, and teamwork. The Vietnamese taekwondo poomsae team has finished its competition; now it's time for the sparring team to compete starting today (December 11th).

Ho Duy's determination, along with that of the poomsae team, will further empower the sparring team to continue winning gold medals for Vietnamese taekwondo.

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NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vo-si-taekwodo-tran-ho-duy-hcv-cua-y-chi-20251211110002371.htm