Nagoya, 2 Oct 2026 – Nguyen Thi Tam narrowly missed the chance to deliver a historic Asian Games gold for Vietnamese boxing after losing to China’s Wu Yu in the women’s 51kg final at ASIAD 2026, but her silver medal still marked an unprecedented achievement for the country.
The highly anticipated women’s 51kg final took place in Aichi-Nagoya on October 2, with Nguyen Thi Tam facing defending Asian Games champion Wu Yu of China. From the opening bell, the Vietnamese boxer attempted to remain mobile and control the distance, looking for opportunities to land scoring punches against her experienced opponent.
Wu Yu, however, demonstrated the quality and international experience that had taken her to the top level of Asian boxing. The Chinese fighter defended effectively while responding with accurate punches of her own, gradually establishing an advantage as the bout progressed. Despite Tam’s determination and attempts to find a way back into the contest, Wu maintained control across all three rounds.
The judges ultimately awarded Wu Yu a 5-0 unanimous decision victory, with scorecards of 29-28, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 and 30-27. The result saw the Chinese boxer successfully defend the women’s 51kg Asian Games title she had previously won at ASIAD 2023.
For Nguyen Thi Tam, defeat in the final meant settling for the silver medal, but the result represented a major step forward from the bronze she won at the 2018 Asian Games. Her journey to the final was itself one of the notable performances of Vietnam’s ASIAD 2026 campaign, with Tam defeating opponents from Nepal, Chinese Taipei, South Korea and Kazakhstan on her way to the gold-medal bout.
Most significantly, Tam became the first Vietnamese boxer in history to compete in an Asian Games final, setting a new milestone for the country’s boxing programme. Although she fell just short of delivering Vietnam’s first Asian Games boxing gold, her silver represented the best result Vietnamese boxing has achieved at the continental multi-sport event.
With the boxing competition concluding on October 2, Vietnam finished its campaign in the sport with one silver medal, secured by Nguyen Thi Tam after her historic run to the women’s 51kg final.
VSN/RPT
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