Lam Dong Traditional Martial Arts Team Targets Gold at National Sports Games
With 17 athletes registered to compete, the Lam Dong Traditional Martial Arts Team is targeting at least one gold medal at the 10th National Sports Games 2026, scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City in November.
Fighters from Local Ethnic Communities
With a medium build and quick, agile footwork, K'Quang impresses with his fast, decisive defensive moves and punches. Competing in the 54 kg weight category in the combat discipline, he is currently one of the Lam Dong Traditional Martial Arts Team's medal hopefuls at the 10th National Sports Games 2026.
K'Quang, a member of the K'ho ethnic group, was born in 2006 into a farming family in the remote area of Gia Bac, which is now part of Son Dien Commune.
He started practicing Vovinam in the eighth grade to enhance his physical fitness. By the tenth grade, he transitioned to traditional martial arts and quickly won a gold medal in the 57 kg combat category at a provincial-level tournament.
In 2024, while representing the traditional martial arts team of the provincial education sector, K'Quang achieved another gold medal in the same weight category at the 10th National Phu Dong Sports Festival held in Hai Phong.
After graduating from high school in 2024, K'Quang was chosen to join the Lam Dong Traditional Martial Arts Team. Since that time, he has won three medals in the 54 kg combat division at national events, including a gold medal at the 2025 National Traditional Martial Arts Clubs Cup.
Regarding his future aspirations, K'Quang mentioned that he aims to attend a university specialising in physical education and sports, with the goal of eventually returning to his hometown to teach and motivate younger generations to engage in martial arts. For now, however, he is fully focused on training and preparing for the upcoming Games.
"There are many talented fighters vying for medals in the 54 kg category across the country, but I will give it my all," K'Quang stated.
Another strong medal hopeful at the 10th National Sports Games 2026 is Kră Jăn Ha Than, who was born in 2008 and lives in Cam Ly - Da Lat Ward. With a deep passion for martial arts, Ha Than started training in traditional martial arts while still in elementary school.
In 2025, this young athlete secured a bronze medal in kickboxing at the National Youth Championships, which also welcomes traditional martial arts practitioners.
Following this achievement, in 2026, Ha Than won a silver medal in the 57 kg combat division at the National Traditional Martial Arts Clubs Championships. At the 10th National Sports Games 2026, he will once again compete in the 57 kg combat division.
Striving to Achieve the Target
The Lam Dong Traditional Martial Arts Team will take part in the 10th National Sports Games 2026 with a total of 17 athletes, including 11 fighters competing in various weight categories from 51 kg to 72 kg, along with six athletes participating in performance events.
Besides K'Quang and Kră Jăn Ha Than, the combat team also features two additional ethnic minority fighters: K'Buys, born in 2008, who is set to compete in the 60 kg category, and Dơng Gus Ha Siêng, born in 1996, who will fight in the 54 kg category.
Since the start of 2026, the Lam Dong Traditional Martial Arts Team, composed mainly of athletes training for the Games, has secured a total of 20 medals at the National Traditional Martial Arts Clubs Championships and the National Youth Traditional Martial Arts Championships. This tally includes two gold, four silver, and 14 bronze medals.
In earlier editions of the National Sports Games, the Lam Dong Traditional Martial Arts Team achieved one gold medal in 2014 and two in 2018. However, at the latest Games in 2022, the team's results were limited to three bronze medals.
For this year's Games, the Lam Dong team has set a target of one gold and two bronze medals.
"Currently, our athletes maintain high-intensity daily training, combining technical development with physical conditioning. Some have sustained minor injuries during training, but these are not significant. The entire team will give its utmost effort to achieve the best possible results," said Ho Tuan Linh, head coach of the Lam Dong Traditional Martial Arts Team.