Couple win gold medals just minutes apart at SEA Games

May 17, 2022 | 07:18 am PT

Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son and his wife Pham Le Thao Nguyen pose with their gold medals for the men's and women's rapid chess titles at SEA Games 31 in Hanoi, May 17, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Anh Thu

A married couple from Vietnam each won individual gold in chess at almost the same time on Tuesday as the SEA Games hosts earned 102 gold medals overall.

Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, 32, and his wife Pham Le Thao Nguyen, 34, won the men's and women's rapid chess titles in Hanoi.

Each saw off opponents from Singapore with just minutes between their victories.

Thao Nguyen finished a bit earlier and then quietly waited for her husband to seal his win.

"During the game we were worried for each other," Thao Nguyen said, according to Vietnam News Agency.

"This was our first experience like this."

Truong Son, the world number 128 in the International Chess Federation rankings, is the youngest Vietnamese to have earned the title of grandmaster and had already won gold earlier in the regional Games.

"We were always together in training. We supported and shared difficulties together," he said.

"Now is the time for us to celebrate together."

Their wins boosted Vietnam’s overall gold medal tally to 102.