Duong Thuy Vi secured Vietnam’s first wushu medal at ASIAD 2026 after claiming bronze in the women’s jianshu and qiangshu combined event, marking another podium finish in what could be the final Asian Games of her distinguished career.
Before travelling to Japan, Duong Thuy Vi admitted that the 20th Asian Games would be an emotional occasion as it marked her fifth consecutive appearance at the continental showpiece. The 33-year-old, the most experienced member of Vietnam’s wushu squad at ASIAD 2026, therefore arrived in Aichi-Nagoya determined to add another medal to her collection. The women’s jianshu and qiangshu taolu competition featured five athletes: Thuy Vi of Vietnam, Yao Yang of China, Kida Nanoha of Japan, Patricia Geraldine of Indonesia and Pang Pui Yee of Malaysia.
In the qiangshu competition on September 23, Thuy Vi produced an impressive routine to earn 9.710 points, placing third. The Vietnamese veteran demonstrated fluid movements and a high level of technical difficulty throughout her performance, although she narrowly missed out on the top two positions. China’s Yao Yang led the discipline with 9.733 points, while Japan’s Kida Nanoha finished second with 9.726.
Thuy Vi had earlier scored 9.703 points in the jianshu routine, placing fourth in that discipline. With the final standings determined by the combined scores from both routines, her total of 19.413 points was enough to secure third place and the bronze medal. Yao Yang captured gold for China with a combined score of 19.546, while home athlete Kida Nanoha took silver with 19.446.
The result also saw Thuy Vi successfully defend the bronze medal she won at the previous Asian Games in China in 2023. On that occasion, she recorded a combined score of 19.426 points across the two routines. Her latest bronze continued a remarkable Asian Games journey and, importantly for the Vietnamese delegation, became Vietnam’s first wushu medal at ASIAD 2026.
At 33, Thuy Vi has acknowledged that the 20th Asian Games could be the last of her career. Having competed at five consecutive editions of the continental Games, the experienced Vietnamese wushu star has once again finished on the podium, adding another Asian Games medal to her long career at the highest level of the sport.
VSN/RPT
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