Asian Beach Games                                .

Phạm Văn Nghĩa and his gold medal and mascot of the sixth Asian Beach Games 2026. Photo courtesy of Việt Nam Sport Team

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam grabbed second gold medal at the Asian Beach Games 2026 after Phạm Văn Nghĩa overcame strong rivals in the men's long jump event in Sanya City, Hainan Province, China.

Under the sun out and amid the heavy humidity, the event, which was organised at Phoenix IÍland, turned into a fascinating tactical mind-game.

Nghĩa set the tone early with a massive 7.44m on his second attempt – a mark that held firm to secure the gold.

​China’s Tao Yege kept the pressure high, pushing Nghĩa with a 7.41m on his fifth jump, but he couldn’t quite topple the Vietnamese leader from his golden perch.

The battle for bronze was just as tight. Sri Lanka’s Jayathra Sampath Miranda, backed by a vocal contingent of fans, recovered from a shaky start to squeeze on to the podium with a 7.37m on his final jump.

The tricky sand conditions made athletes struggle with their footing, slipping slightly just before take-off. In a contest where technical adjustments were more vital than raw power, Nghĩa’s was the class act.

His consistency – notching four jumps over the seven-metre mark – was no fluke. He goes for a shorter, pacier approach to minimise last-second stutters at the board.

“I don’t want to mentally think of the surface,” he said. “Getting the lead on the second jump helps me relax and focus on my rhythm.”

Việt Nam continue to assert the dominance in the long jump, as Hà Thị Thúy Hằng claimed victory in the women’s event on April 24.

Võ Thị Mỹ Tiên is happy with her third place in the women's 5km open water swimming event.

Early, a rapid splash in the last second helped SEA Games silver medallist Võ Thị Mỹ Tiên take a bronze in the women's 5km open water swimming event.

Tiên came third in a time of 1hr 01.57min. She is behind Li Xinxuan (1:01.33) and Chen Yijing (1:01.43) both of the hosts.

The third medal of the day went to the dragon boat team who come third in the women's 200m category, clocking 54.839sec.

China won gold in a time of 51.964, followed by Thailand on 54.748.

After three days of competitions, Việt Nam have had two gold, one silver and two bronze medals to place No 5 in the medal tally.

China dominate the ranking with nine golds. Thailand and the Philippines are second and third with three golds, each. — VNS