HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s Hồ Thị Kim Ngân topped the World Taekwondo Junior Championship, which is ongoing in Canada.

Ngân won a gold medal in the women’s U44kg category after beating Calderon Maria from Croatia 5-2 in the final match on November 17.

Earlier, Ngân, who burst into tears after winning, beat rivals from Argentina, South Korea, Chinese Taipei and the Philippines.

The 15-year-old scored the best results for Việt Nam’s taekwondo team, which had poor performances in recent years at international competitions.

“It is the first time Ngân has taken part in the world junior championship, so we just asked her try to be one of top three in her pool. However, she did a perfect job. The gold is a wonderful gift for a girl who showed great determination and competitiveness,” said coach Vũ Anh Tuấn.

Ngân, from An Giang Province, has been training in taekwondo for nearly three years. Tuấn said she is a perfect height of 1.78m to compete in the martial art. She was also hard-working and smart, with a strong physique and technique.

Last year, she won gold medals at the Southeast Asian and Asian championships for cadets and junior athletes.

“I hope that her title will be a strong force for her teammates, who will fight in the coming days,” Tuấn said.

Ngân was also praised by Việt Nam Taekwondo Federation General Secretary Vũ Xuân Thành. He said: “Ngân was confident and performed very well in the Canadian tournament. She will receive strong support so she can compete at the 2018 Olympics.”

The November 16-20 tournament attracts more than 1,000 competitors from nearly 100 countries and territories. Việt Nam has nine representatives. — VNS