THE wushu world championships has seen the arrival of Tan Cheong Min as the new star while seasoned campaigner Wong Weng Son has proved to be still reliable on the international stage.
The 21-year-old Cheong Min, in only her second world meet, finished with an outstanding tally of one gold and two silver in Shanghai.
She was the first Malaysian to start the medal count rolling as she nailed silver in nanquan,finishing behind China’s Tang Lu.
She then combined with Loh Ying Ting and Phoon Eyin to strike silver in the duilian event.
The Melakan showed her mettle by putting up another flawless display to take the gold in nandao.
It is Cheong Min’s first individual gold medal at the highest level and it definitely won’t be the last.
‘I think there wasn’t any pressure on me, so when I went on the mat, I just told myself that this is my show and I just have to put up a good performance out there,’ said Cheong Min.
‘Of course I’m really happy to have won my first gold medal at such a big event and I really enjoyed myself out there.’
Weng Son, 27,on the other hand, fell short of defending his jianshu gold after coming second to China’s Li Qizhen.
But the Negri Sembilan-born exponent will have no reason to feel sorry for himself as he was consistent throughout the competition, finishing with three silver medals, including an unexpected one in changquan.
‘I am actually really happy with the overall result because I only targeted two events,’ admitted Weng Son.
‘I think the 10-month preparation and the training camp in China before the world championships really helped.’
With debutant Chuah Shangyang also grabbing a surprise gold in men’s xingyiquan, Malaysia finished their campaign with two gold,five silver and one bronze.
It is a marked improvement from the 2017 edition in Kazan where the team returned with a 2-3-3 haul.
Malaysian Wushu Federation (MWF) chief Datuk Chong Kim Fatt believes the challenge now is to turn silver into gold in future competitions.
‘Cheong Min performed well and we’re happy for her. We’re looking to implement a new training programme and structure to continue pushing her,’ said Kim Fatt.
‘Overall, I’m very happy with our achievements here.’
The wushu team returned from Shanghai yesterday and will immediately prepare for the Manila SEA Games in December.