Taekwondo

SEA Games champion Nguyễn Hồng Trọng (right) will fight in the men's 54kg at the 2026 US Open Taekwondo Championships in Las Vegas. — VNS Photo Dũng Phương

HÀ NỘI — Four Vietnamese athletes are taking part in the 2026 US Open Taekwondo Championships in Las Vegas, US, which will give them the chance to rack up points for the race to the 2028 Olympics.

Nguyễn Hồng Trọng, Trần Hồ Nhân Văn, Nguyễn Thị Mai and Nguyễn Thị Loan are taking part in the tournament, which is being held by World Taekwondo from March 5 to 8.

Trọng won the gold medal in the men's 54kg category at the 33 SEA Games in December in Thailand. Meanwhile, Loan took silver in the women's 53kg, and Mai pocketed a bronze in the women's 46kg.

The Vietnamese fighters take part in the kyorugi (combat) events from March 7 to 8. All of the participants will potentially earn points to help them get to the Los Angeles Olympics in two years.

After the Las Vegas event, they will return home and join other teammates in the Asian Taekwondo Championship 2026 in Mongolia later this month. In the Asian championship, the combat category will be held from March 19 to 21 and the poomsae (performances) will follow on March 22 and 23.

The event in Mongolia is a qualifier for the 20th Asian Games in Japan later this year. In each category, the top six athletes will secure slots for the Games in Nagoya City. — VNS