Vietnam wins first gold medal at Sepak Takraw World Cup

In the final match on the evening of March 21, Vietnam started with a lineup consisting of Tran Thi Ngoc Yen, Nguyen Thi My, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huyen and Nguyen Thi Yen. Ngoc Yen (number 4) is 21 years old, the tallest on the team and is also the main attacker with her hook shots on the net.

On the very first point, Ngoc Yen hooked the ball to the back of the court, but the referee gave the point to Thailand. The coach of the Vietnamese women's team, Ms. Tran Thi Vui, appealed to the referees to review the situation. In the end, they determined that the ball was in the court, so Vietnam got the first point.

The team then led 5 - 0, including a net block that won the point. Thailand had to consult immediately, but the gap was then widened to 1 - 8. The opponent tried to shorten the gap to 12 - 14, but on the decisive point of the first set, Ngoc Yen hooked the ball over three blockers and it fell into the court.

The second half followed a similar scenario, but with a reversal. Thailand took an early lead of 5-1, then maintained the advantage until the end of the half.

In the third set, Nguyen Thi Yen (number 11) hooked the ball quite clearly in the court, but the main referee gave the point to Thailand. Mrs. Vui raised the complaint board again with a confident look. After reviewing the situation, the point was awarded to the team to the excitement of the 4 players.

Another block at the net and a hook shot that hit the barrier and bounced out helped the team lead 3-0. Thailand then scored five points in a row to lead 5-3, but the team did not lose control of the match. The two sides continued to fight for each point, until Vietnam took the lead 14-13, causing Ms. Vui to stand up and applaud.

In the decisive serve, Ngoc Yen hooked the ball into the net and it fell to the opponent's court. The Thai players were surprised and confused, so they could not return the ball. Vui and her players jumped up in joy but had to wait a bit to wait for Thailand to appeal. However, the referees still awarded Vietnam a 15-13 victory and a historic championship.

The World Cup is the only world tournament organized by the International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF), first held in 2011, and is now in its fifth edition. In the previous four editions, Vietnam won five silver medals, but has never won the championship.

This year’s tournament took place at the Patliputra Indoor Stadium, Kankarbagh District, Patna City, Bihar State, India from March 20-25. About 300 players and coaches from 20 teams participated in the tournament, playing a total of 150 matches over 6 days. The competitions included 4-a-side (quad), 3-a-side (regular) and 2-a-side (double) for men and women. The remaining event was a mixed 4-a-side (men and women compete together).

Also on the second day of competition, Vietnam won another silver medal from the men's 4 event.