Nguyễn Trần Duy Nhất (right) celebrates winning his rival in the final of the men’s Muay Thai 57kg event at the World Games in the US. — Photo courtesy of Nguyễn Trần Duy Nhất

World Games

HÀ NỘI — Muay Thai athlete Nguyễn Trần Duy Nhất won gold at the 11th World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, the US on Monday morning (Hà Nội time), defeating Almaz Sarsembekov of Kazakhstan 29-28 (10-9, 9-10, 10-9) in the men’s Muay Thai 57kg final.

His opponent Sarsembekov, 26, had won a bronze medal at the World Games in 2017 in Poland and was No 1 in this category in the world Muay Thai rankings.

Nhất, 33, used all of his experience to dominate the first round 10-9. Sarsembekov edged the second round, but Nhất did enough to convince the judges at the third round, and so gold medal should go in his favour. 

On his path to the final, the Vietnamese martial artist, who has fought in the prestigious ONE Championship, beat opponents from Portugal and Ukraine.

Immediately after winning the championship, Nhất expressed his happiness on Facebook and Instagram and thanked his fans for always following and supporting him.

This is Nhất's third title of the year so far after winning the national championships and a gold medal at the 31st SEA Games.

Nhất’s gold medal also made this the first time that a Vietnamese delegation has obtained two gold medals at the World Games. Earlier, Wushu martial artist Dương Thuý Vi also won gold in the performance event.

Born in 1989 in Khánh Hòa Province, Nhất is a professional Muay Thai fighter who has fought in many prestigious amateur and professional events, both domestic and international. 

This year’s World Games featured more than 3,600 athletes competing in 30 sports.

The Games is an international event for sports, disciplines or events within a sport that are not contested in the Olympic Games. The Games are usually held one year after the Olympics.

It is governed by the International World Games Association, under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee. The first Games was organised in 1981 in the US.

The 11th Games were scheduled for 2021 but were delayed after the Tokyo Games were moved from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Việt Nam has taken part in several editions of the World Games, winning gold in the 2009 Games in Chinese Taipei; a gold and a silver in 2013 in Colombia; and a gold in 2017 in Poland. VNS