Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat is happy because he played his best at the World Games.

Regretful but not sad, Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat could not touch the medal

Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat was unable to make a breakthrough when he lost all 3 rounds to the French boxer Rolland Daren Louis Jose. Just like in the semi-final when he lost to the Ukrainian boxer, his physical strength could not recover well, combined with the pain on his body, so the Vietnamese boxer could only stand for 3 rounds, but could not create a surprise against his younger and more energetic opponent, who had a fast fighting style and very powerful punches.

Nguyễn Trần Duy Nhất hạnh phúc vì đã chơi hết mình tại World Games- Ảnh 1. — Duy Nhat in the third place match with the French boxer

Duy Nhat said: "For a boxer considered the oldest in the tournament, although I was not successful and could not bring home a medal for the country, I still felt happy to stand firm for 3 consecutive days in 3 matches. Especially after using all my strength to win against the host boxer in a match with a lot of pressure, I really felt that at the age of 36, I could not recover as quickly as before. So when I entered the semi-final match against the Ukrainian boxer, I just told myself to try my best. It is also a pity that in this match, if I had been more physically fit, I would not have let the situation be reversed in the last 2 rounds, when I was leading in the first round. Anyway, I am not sad, I still feel very happy because I have been able to live my passion to the fullest."

Nguyễn Trần Duy Nhất hạnh phúc vì đã chơi hết mình tại World Games- Ảnh 2. — Duy Nhat plays his best, never gives up

Suppress the pain, never give up

Coach Giap Trung Thang shared the bruises Duy Nhat suffered after the quarter-final and semi-final matches. He said: "Duy Nhat was very resilient, very painful but still fought with a never-give-up attitude. Even in the third-place match, it was easy to give up after losing 2 rounds, but Duy Nhat showed that as long as he was on the ring, he still put all his breath into giving his best at that moment. In the third round, he played very tenaciously, throwing many tricky moves that made the French boxer unable to be careless or lose his guard. That surprised his opponent and after the match, he actively appreciated the strong fighting spirit of our boxer."

Nguyễn Trần Duy Nhất hạnh phúc vì đã chơi hết mình tại World Games- Ảnh 3. — Duy Nhat's injury prevented him from kicking well.

Duy Nhat's two teachers and students also expressed their gratitude for the affection that fans have shown for the matches at the 2025 World Games. Coach Giap Trung Thang said: "Our journey of competing in Muay Thai has ended. This World Games was very difficult for Vietnamese athletes, because not only Duy Nhat but as far as I know, some events in other sports also encountered obstacles. But even though we did not achieve good results, we still feel proud to receive great encouragement and attention from the leaders of the Vietnam Sports Administration and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City. In particular, each match at Duy Nhat's World Games was closely followed by fans, well received by experts and everyone always shared and spread positive messages. That was a great source of inspiration to help Duy Nhat gradually overcome difficulties with injuries on his body and worn-out strength."

Nguyễn Trần Duy Nhất hạnh phúc vì đã chơi hết mình tại World Games- Ảnh 4. — Duy Nhat applied ice after the match thanks to his wife taking care of him.

At the age of 36, Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat's international Muay career will probably end after this World Games. Now is the time for him to continue nurturing his passion, focusing on training and coaching at his "oven", in order to continue contributing to the sport. Duy Nhat will also be given the opportunity to join the coaching board of the national team and the youth team, which will need his practical experience to pass on to the junior fighters at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand.