Teqball and karate bring Vietnam's first two bronzes at Asiad 20

Vietnam's first medal at the 20th Asian Games came from a relatively new sport: teqball. Nguyen Hoang Minh Tan and Trinh Gia Nghi defeated India's Dsouza Quimcy Joaquim and Beg Mohamed Anas Imran 2-0 in the mixed doubles bronze-medal match, bringing a historic bronze medal to Vietnamese teqball. Teqball combines elements of football and table tennis, requiring ball control, quick reflexes, individual technique, and close coordination, especially in doubles. The sport made its Asian Games debut at Asiad 20. Despite being unfamiliar in Vietnam, Minh Tan and Gia Nghi quickly made their mark on the continental stage. Vietnam could have celebrated more if Ba Truong Giang and Le Anh Khoa had beaten the Iraqi pair in the men's doubles bronze-medal match on the morning of September 20. That loss, however, did not overshadow the teqball bronze. Karate also added a medal for Vietnam. Bui Ngoc Nhi won the bronze in the women's individual kata event. She lost to Japan's Ono Maho 0-5 in her opening match, then beat South Korea's Choi Haeun 5-0 and Singapore's Leong Wai Yee Shannon 4-1. After making her mark at SEA Games 33 and Asian youth tournaments, Nhi will join her teammates against Nepal in the women's team kata quarter-finals on September 22. After nearly half a day of competition, China led the medal table with 2 golds, 4 silvers, and 1 bronze. Lin Xinyu won China's first gold in the women's triathlon. Japan ranked second with 2 golds and 3 bronzes. Macau, South Korea, and Kazakhstan each had one gold, ranking third to fifth. Vietnam temporarily ranked ninth with two bronzes.