Malaysia won the men's team kumite gold medal on May 20. Thestar/ANN Photo 

Thanh Hà

Malaysia hit their target of 36 gold medals at the Games, with the latest coming from the national karate team.

The men's karate trio of R. Sharmendran, Prem Kumar and H. Sureeya Sankar won the kumite team gold for Malaysia with a 3-0 win over Indonesia in Ninh Bình Province on May 20.

Malaysia entered the final after beating Laos 2-0 and Việt Nam 3-0.

The karate team will return home with four gold medals, matching their previous achievement in the Philippines in 2019.

Thailand and Việt Nam shared third position.

In the women's pool, Việt Nam's quartet Hồ Thị Thu Hiền, Hoàng Thị Mỹ Tâm, Nguyễn Thị Ngoan and Trang Cẩm Lành claimed gold after beating Indonesia in the final match.

 Malaysia and the Philippines placed third.

Vietnamese fighters celebrate their women's kumite championship. VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tùng

Indonesia defeated Thailand to take the first-ever kata (performance) title of the men's team event.

It was also the first time they secured both men's individual and team golds.

Việt Nam and Malaysia took bronze.

After three days of competition, Việt Nam won seven golds, exceeding their target of four. The hosts topped the medal tally. 

National coach of Việt Nam Nguyễn Tùng Dương appreciated his athletes' performances. 

"To me, every achievement of my athletes is valuable. Medals, in whatever colour, required athletes' hard work and effort," Dương said.

"This is the regional competition only, but many world-class athletes gathered here. This is a good chance for athletes to sharpen their skills looking toward higher tournaments."

Dương said his women athletes were better than the males who suffered regrettable defeats. But it would be a good experience for them and the coache who would have to switch training programmes for a better outcome.

Dương highlighted his beloved fighter Ngoan who returned to the national team after nearly two years off because of psychological treatment.

"She practised hard and grabbed [two] golds. She deserved to win those medals for what she has been through," Dương said.