SEA Games 31's Karate competitions begin in Ninh Binh

The athletes are vieing for medals in many Kata and Kumite categories such as men's 60kg, men's 67kg; women's 50kg, and women's 61kg.

Ninh Binh's athlete Pham Minh Duc ranked first in Group 1 with 24.26 point for his individual Kata. In the final, Duc will meet Indonesian rival Yuda Ahmad Zigi Zaresta who topped Group 2 with 24.88 points.

Two athletes from the Philipines and Cambodian who ranked second in  Group 1 and 2 will compete for the bronze medal.

In the women's Kata event, Vietnamese athlete Nguyen Thi Phuong gained the highest score, followed by Malaysian and Cambodian rivals. Her teammate Nguyen Thi Ngoan reaped consecutive successes in the 61kg category.

In the men's Kumite competition, Vo Van Hien entered the semi-final, while Dang Hong Son was unlikely to advance to the next round as he won one match and lost another.

The finals of the men's and women's  individual Kata competitions and the semi-finals and finals of the men's and women's Kumite are being held in the afternoon of May 18.

Translated by Nguyen Thuy