The 2026 Asian Championship title is valuable
Just returning from Indonesia after the 2026 Asian Championships (closed on June 21), Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly and her teammates did not rest but continued to the training floor with the highest intensity. Sweated on her face after training at the National High-Level Athlete Training Center, the female athlete confided: "The achievement of winning a personal Gold Medal at the 2026 Asian Championships is a memorable memory for me.
I have been professionally prepared by the coaches, with the best spirit, so when competing, I focus on scoring points. I have succeeded and would like to thank the cheers of my teammates and fans.
Martial artist Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly has participated in the Asian Championships 3 times (in 2024, 2025, 2026). In 2024 and 2025, she won a Gold Medal in the women's team kumite event. However, the convincing 5-1 victory over opponent Kama Tsubasa (Japan) in the women's 68kg final of the 2026 Asian Championships brought Dieu Ly two positive values.
First, for the first time she achieved the goal of winning a Gold Medal in the individual sparring event.
Second, the victory over the Japanese martial artist, a superpower possessing many of the world's leading karate players.
Coincidentally, Dieu Ly's Gold Medal is the only Gold Medal of the Vietnamese Karate Team achieved in the 2026 Asian Championship. "I was very surprised when I knew on the last day that my result was the only championship of the whole team at this year's Asian Championship. For me, this is a common victory of the Vietnamese Karate Team," Dieu Ly shared modestly.
DREAM OF CONQUERING ASIAD 20
Dieu Ly once expressed that she always sets challenges to conquer achievements and always aims for the goal of striving professionally to win a spot to participate in the Asian Games (ASIAD). At this time, ASIAD 20 is approaching and the opportunity is very close for Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly.
This year, Dieu Ly enters her 21st year (born in 2005). The female martial artist from Phuc Tho region (Hanoi) will face the opportunity to participate in ASIAD for the first time. She affirmed her form with a Gold Medal at the 2026 Asian Championship and received high appreciation from the coaching staff of the Vietnamese karate team.
However, Dieu Ly once expressed: "I understand that the coaching staff will choose athletes who maintain their best form and follow important events for Vietnamese karate to conquer results at ASIAD 20. All of us athletes expect to have the opportunity to compete in Japan.
When this article appeared on the page, it was the time Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly was preparing professionally in the final stage and ready to go to Ninh Binh to participate in the 2026 Southeast Asian Championship (held from July 6 to 12). She is determined to strive to complete the goal of winning the Gold Medal at the 2026 Southeast Asian Championship. This will be an absolute affirmation of expertise for Dieu Ly to have a place to participate in ASIAD 20.
In the professional plan, the coaching staff of the Vietnam Karate Team will review and shorten the official registration list for ASIAD 20 with the organizers on July 1.
Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly idolizes her older sister Nguyen Thi Ngoan. Both sisters are currently karate martial artists of the Army Sports Center (Ministry of National Defense). Dieu Ly started practicing karate at the age of 12 and grew up in the disciplined environment of Army sports. At the 2026 Asian Championship just concluded in Indonesia, in addition to the Gold Medal in the women's 68kg individual category, Dieu Ly also won a Bronze Medal in the women's kumite (combat) team event. The above achievement helped her and the women's kumite team of the Vietnamese karate team to be awarded a ticket to the 2026 World Team Championship - World Cup 2026 in November in China.
Last year, Dieu Ly personally won a Gold Medal in the women's team kumite and a Silver Medal in the women's 55kg individual category at SEA Games 33 in Thailand. At the beginning of 2026, Dieu Ly was honored to receive the 2025 National Defense Ministry's Outstanding Young Face Award.
