Lê Đức Phát bids farewell at Nepal International Challenge 2024
Ashley
Sat Dec 28 2024
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Vietnam's badminton journey faced a disappointing end at the Nepal International Challenge 2024 as top seed Lê Đức Phát suffered an unexpected defeat. Despite a successful year, the road to glory hit a bump for the talented Vietnamese players.
In the men's singles round of 16, world-ranked 56 Lê Đức Phát fell to India's B.M.Rahul Bharadwaj with a score of 20-22, 15-21. Meanwhile, third seed Nguyễn Hải Đăng managed a comeback victory against Hemanth M.Gowda from India in a hard-fought match with a score of 19-21, 21-9, 21-13 in the round of 32. However, fatigue seemed to have taken a toll as "Little Momota" succumbed to Siddhanth Gupta of India in a closely contested battle 21-12, 20-22, 19-21 later that day.
Earlier in the year, Vietnam started strong with Nguyễn Hải Đăng clinching the Fajr International Challenge 2024 title in Iran, followed by Lê Đức Phát's triumph at the Uganda International Challenge 2024 as they geared up for the road to Paris 2024 Olympic. Despite securing two Olympic slots for Nguyễn Thùy Linh in women's singles and Lê Đức Phát in men's singles, the year ended on a bittersweet note with both players only making it to the semifinals of the Bangladesh International Challenge.
Lê Đức Phát's nomination for the Male Athlete of the Year at the 2024 Cup of Victory came after his Olympic qualification and a group stage win before bowing out to a higher seed. Throughout the year, the military talent also added two international titles to his name at the Uganda International Challenge and Lagos International Classics. Competing against stars from various sports, including billiards player Trần Quyết Chiến, marksman Phạm Quang Huy, chess player Lê Tuấn Minh, gymnast Nguyễn Văn Khánh Phong, archer Lê Quốc Phong, marathon runner Hoàng Nguyên Thanh, and weightlifter Lại Gia Thành, Lê Đức Phát showcased his prowess on the badminton court.
While the Nepal International Challenge 2024 may not have ended as expected for the Vietnamese badminton contingent, the journey of Lê Đức Phát and his compatriots this year reflects their determination and potential for future success on the international stage.