Vietnam beat Italy to win gold at world taekwondo championship

Vietnam attended the tournament with nine athletes. Each category of the tournament comprises seven athletes, with at least two men or two women.

Prior to the gold medal, the Vietnam team had already secured one silver and one bronze medal in the recognized categories.

Athlete Chau Tuyet Van with her medals at the World Taekwondo Demonstration Team Championships on August 20. Photo by Chau Tuyet Van

In the freestyle category, which took place on Sunday night, athlete Chau Tuyet Van and her teammates put on a performance with a high level of difficulty, carefully constructed by the talented martial arts choreographer Nguyen Manh Quyen.

The freestyle category had the participation of 18 teams from South Korea, the Italian teakwondo team and Vietnam.

Medals are awarded in both the group stage and the final of the freestyle event. In the group stage, Vietnam won the gold medal after beating Italy.

However, in the final, both Vietnam and Italy could only secured bronze medals, finishing behind two South Korean teams.

"Reflecting on this accomplishment, it’s evident that this team is marked by resilience and fierce determination. Congratulations to us and kudos to the Vietnam taekwondo team," choreographer Quyen wrote on his Facebook.

The 2023 World Taekwondo Demonstration Team Championships serves as one of the four events of the Gangwon-Chuncheon World Taekwondo Cultural Festival, taking place on August 18-24.

The festival has garnered participation from approximately 15,000 athletes, officials, and tourists from 60 countries.