Teqball and Karate give Vietnam first two bronze medals at Asiad 20

The first strike is never the fastest, but it teaches you how to keep your balance. On the morning of September 20, 2026, at the 20th Asian Games, Nguyen Hoang Minh Tan and Trinh Gia Nghi showed exactly that when they entered the mixed doubles Teqball bronze-medal match. They not only secured Vietnam’s first medal of the Games, but also opened a new path for a sport still young in the country. Teqball combines football and table tennis, played on a curved table, requiring ball control with feet, head and chest, plus quick reflexes. In doubles, chemistry between two athletes is almost everything. The Vietnamese pair defeated Dsouza Quimcy Joaquim and Beg Mohamed Anas Imran of India 2-0 in the bronze-medal match. Because Teqball appeared at the Asian Games for the first time, this medal carries historic value. Right after that joy, the Vietnamese Teqball team almost had another medal. In the men’s doubles bronze-medal match, Ba Truong Giang and Le Anh Khoa fought hard but lost to an Iraqi pair. Still, their performance on the sport’s Asiad debut deserves credit, as they competed with nations where Teqball is more established. The good news continued in Karate. Bui Ngoc Nhi won the bronze medal in the women’s individual Kata event after a three-match emotional run. She lost to Japan’s Ono Maho 0-5 in the opening match but did not collapse. Nhi then beat Choi Haeun of South Korea 5-0 and Leong Wai Yee Shannon of Singapore 4-1 to reach the podium. This result extends her impressive run after SEA Games 33 and Asian youth competitions. She still has a chance to add another medal when she and her teammates face Nepal in the women’s team Kata quarter-finals on September 22, 2026. After nearly half a day of competition, the medal table began to take shape. China moved to the top with 2 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze. Lin Xinyu won China’s first gold in the women’s triathlon. Japan were second with 2 gold and 3 bronze. Macao, South Korea and Kazakhstan each had 1 gold, ranking third to fifth. Vietnam were temporarily ninth with 2 bronze medals. The real story is not the position on the medal table, but how Vietnam won its medals. Teqball is not yet popular in Vietnam, facilities are limited, yet the athletes were brave enough to beat rivals from stronger Teqball backgrounds. This shows Vietnamese sport is not only strong in traditional events. Legends never die; they just wait for a big enough stage. The 20th Asian Games is exactly that stage for underrated names like Minh Tan, Gia Nghi and Ngoc Nhi to step into the light. From a professional perspective, I believe Vietnam’s first Teqball bronze embodies the sport’s philosophy: the winner is not the one who moves fastest, but the one who keeps balance best through every exchange. On the curved table, every poor pass is exposed. The Vietnamese pair controlled the rhythm, handled the pressure of a medal match and used the space in front of the opponent’s goal. That is the common pattern of upsets at the Asian Games: you do not have to dominate the whole tournament; you just need the right people, right timing and enough toughness in decisive moments. When the stands are quiet, you can finally hear your own applause. September 20, 2026 may be only the first day of the 20th Asian Games, but for Vietnamese sport it is already a statement: new, low-budget and low-profile sports can still produce medals if they are invested in properly. Minh Tan, Gia Nghi and Ngoc Nhi have written that story. What remains is for sports leaders to be brave enough to treat Teqball, Karate and similar events as strategic directions, not just side events of an Asiad.