Việt Nam's team at the Vocotruyen World and Junior Championships in Italy. — Photo courtesy of Việt Nam Sports

Martial Arts

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam finished first overall at the Vocotruyen World and Junior Championships in Italy after winning 33 medals, including 32 golds and one silver.

The championships were held from September 30 to October 5 in Cervia, in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region.

Organised by the World Federation of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts in cooperation with the Italian Federation of Wushu Kung Fu and Vietnamese Martial Arts, the event brought together more than 500 coaches and athletes from 29 countries.

They competed in 378 events in performance and combat across various age groups.

Việt Nam sent an 83-strong delegation, including officials, referees, coaches and athletes. The team comprised 40 athletes selected from those who had performed well at domestic and international competitions.

Vietnamese athletes competed in both performance and combat events, winning 32 gold medals and one silver to finish first overall.

Martial artists Nguyễn Giang Sơn (left) and Trần Quang Vũ celebrate their gold medals at the Vocotruyen World and Junior Championships in Italy. — Photo courtesy of vietnam.vn

Đà Nẵng fighter Nguyễn Giang Sơn won the men's 68kg combat event after defeating opponents from Italy, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

Thanh Hóa athletes Trần Thị Hậu and Trương Thị Quỳnh Vy added two more gold medals, winning the women's 64kg and 60kg categories, respectively.

Ninh Bình's contribution to the team came from Trần Minh Anh, 19, who competed in the women's 51-54kg combat category.

Anh advanced to the final after overcoming her earlier opponents and then defeating Algeria's Idir Aldja to take gold.

The tournament also featured training and refresher courses for international traditional martial arts referees, professional exchanges, cultural activities and networking among Vietnamese traditional martial arts organisations, martial arts schools, coaches and athletes from around the world.

The event also provided an opportunity to promote traditional Vietnamese martial arts and introduce Vietnamese culture to international audiences through sport.

During the championships, Nguyễn Ngọc Anh, president of the Việt Nam Traditional Martial Arts Federation, was elected president of the World Federation of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts for the federation's second term, 2026-31.

After the championships, the Vietnamese athletes will return to training in preparation for their remaining competitions in 2026, with the 10th National Sports Games at the end of the year among their key targets. — VNS