Taekwondo

Châu Ngọc Tuyết Sang of Việt Nam (right) competes in the virtual taekwondo event in the 2026 Asian Games. Photo chosun.com

Thanh Hà

Spending more than 10 years practising martial arts, three months focusing on a new category, and three minutes on the mat, Châu Ngọc Tuyết Sang made her name well-known internationally with second place in the virtual taekwondo competition at the 2026 Asian Games (ASIAD).

After it was confirmed as an official event for the competition for the first time, the coaching board and Sang decided to take part in the tournament and had just a short time to prepare for such a unique category.

The digital version of the traditional combat sport sees athletes wearing uniform and virtual reality headsets and motion-tracking devices attached to their spines, thighs and shins. These devices allow them to control digital avatars in non-contact bouts against virtual opponents. 

They throw real-world taekwondo kicks to deplete their opponent's virtual health bar while avoiding physical contact. They have to achieve the highest possible score on their power gauge before time runs out.

Châu Ngọc Tuyết Sang poses with her gold medals grabbed from the National Taekwondo Clubs Championships 2026. Photos courtesy of SAV

 “I chose virtual taekwondo because it was both a challenge and an opportunity for me to experience competing via technology, rather than through the direct, face-to-face encounters that I’ve been familiar with for a long time,” said Sang.

Since taking up this technology, Sang has found that this form of competition has greatly benefited her training, particularly by improving the ability to encourage creative thinking.

"I have to constantly observe and analyse my opponent’s tactics, react quickly and develop appropriate counterstrategies. This has helped me improve my decision-making in different situations and sharpen my tactical thinking. In addition, virtual taekwondo training has helped me improve my physical fitness and adapt to new forms of competition.”

Online masters

Sang, 21, has practised taekwondo since she was a little girl, and was inspired by her sister Châu Tuyết Vân. a renowned multi-time world champion in poomsae (performance).

Under Vân's support, Sang has also recorded impressive achievements. She won an Asian championship title for cadet in 2017 and world silver in 2018, both in kyorugi (combat), and a world silver in poomsae in 2022.

Châu Ngọc Tuyết Sang (right) and South Korean An Hyangsik. in their match. Sang makes a big bang when beating the title favourite 2-1.

 “Normally, I am an athlete of standard and creative poomsae. In those, I focus more on acrobatic movements, leaps, and aerial kicking techniques. Virtual taekwondo is a completely new experience for me,” Sang said.

“The most difficulty is to adapt to new rules. Compared with regular training, it's very different. In the virtual game, speed and accuracy are important, but with the VR headset on, you can't really see clearly, so you have to go off of feel," Sang added.

 "You don't feel the actual touch and feeling of the bodies. In a virtual game, it's just the kicks; it actually feels a bit weird." 

In addition to challenges related to their skills, athletes also faced technical issues with equipment, network connectivity and compatibility.

Sang encountered a technical glitch during her opening match against South Korean An Hyangsik. The sensor on the right leg was misaligned, causing a significant delay in responsiveness.

"I had already performed a kick, but my character did it a moment later. It was reported to the organising committee but there was no response, so I just had to accept it," Sang said. 

Châu Ngọc Tuyết Sang contributes a silver to Việt Nam's medal collection in the 20th ASIAD.

 On her journey, Sang beat An 2-1 in the first match. She went on to defeat Tongchan Sasikarn of Thailand 2-0 in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, she won 2-0 over Yap Zong Han Darren of Singapore. 

The final saw an impressive performance before she lost 2-0 to Yape Jeus Gabriel Derick of the Philippines.

Level playing field

A quirk of virtual taekwondo is that it levels the playing field, no matter who is playing. The game allows normal people and Olympic champions, and even children, to play together. There are no differences in ability, gender, weight or age.

However, there was a strategy to virtual taekwondo as Sang said composure and precision could help bridge that gap.

Châu Ngọc Tuyết Sang is one of the first virtual taekwondo fighters of Việt Nam.

 “There is no guarantee of who will beat whom, as everyone has trained hard and earn their way into the competition. But too many kicks or kicking too quickly don’t always work. You can panic and miss the target. I told myself to stay calm and watch the target carefully so that every kick would score a point for me,” she said.

Taking home a silver at the event in Japan was considered Sang's most glittering success.

“The silver is beyond my expectation. I am very happy about this achievement. My hard work brought a sweet result," said Sang, who has set our a three-year plan.

 “I will continue to train hard, improve my skills and reach new heights in my career while maintaining a healthy balance between sport and everyday life.” — VNS