In the men's under 80kg pencak silat final this morning, 17/12, Nguyen Tan Sang defeated Suthat Bunchit after 25 minutes with a score of 84-53. This victory secured the first gold medal for Vietnamese pencak silat at SEA Games 33.

Nguyen Tan Sang grimaces from suppressing pain while holding a flag and running to celebrate his men's under 80kg pencak silat gold medal at Impact Arena in Nonthaburi, Thailand, this morning, 17/12. *Photo: Duc Dong*

However, the victory was hard-fought for the 26-year-old martial artist. About two minutes into the match, his Thai opponent kicked his left ankle. Seemingly in pain, Tan Sang hopped before continuing to fight. This was due to an ankle injury sustained in yesterday's semifinal match on 16/12, where he defeated Igi Rangga Barani (Indonesia) 62-36 to reach the final. Prior to the competition, he also had a knee injury.

After the match against Suthat, Tan Sang told VnExpress, "My opponent primarily targeted my old injuries: both knees and my left ankle. If we competed fairly on skill, Suthat couldn't beat me. In the very first move, my opponent lunged straight at my leg, causing numbness, and I had to apply ice before resuming the fight."

Suthat, 30 years old, had previously been disqualified midway through both SEA Games 31 and 32. At SEA Games 31 in Hanoi, the Thai martial artist was eliminated after punching Singaporean opponent Sheik Ferdous Bin Sheik Alauddin in the face during the semifinal. At SEA Games 32 in Cambodia, Suthat was again disqualified in the final against Tan Sang, for punching him in the right jaw.

Tan Sang stated that after realizing Suthat's intention, he had to change his fighting style. Instead of relying on his left leg, he shifted to relying more on his right leg and minimized opportunities for his opponent to kick his knees. When he could no longer move flexibly, he had to use his hands to push and maintain distance, preventing his opponent from getting close.

Towards the end of the match, Tan Sang was again kicked in the left knee by his opponent, causing him to fall to the mat and raise his hand, signaling pain. According to him, the referee should have deducted points from the home martial artist. However, the referee awarded points instead. "Despite that, I tried to stay calm and continue fighting", he said. "Everyone could see I was in great pain. But when I looked up at the stands, saw the huge support from the audience, and saw the Vietnamese flags, I couldn't allow myself to give up. I had to gather every bit of remaining strength to compete."

Nguyen Tan Sang clutches his left knee at the end of the match against Suthat. *Photo: Duc Dong*

After the match, Tan Sang sat on a chair, resting one leg on another, and had to lean to the side while giving an interview. When the Vietnamese flag was mentioned, he pointed his right finger to his left arm, where the Vietnamese flag was located. "I couldn't allow myself to disappoint the fans", he emphasized.

This marks Tan Sang's third consecutive SEA Games gold medal. He remains unrivaled in the under 80kg pencak silat category. However, the sport is no longer included in the Asiad program.

By Duc Dong - Xuan Binh