KUALA LUMPUR: Wushu sensation Tan Cheong Min etched her name in history by delivering Malaysia’s first-ever gold medal in the sport at the World Games in Chengdu.
On Saturday, Cheong Min dazzled in the women’s nandao (broadsword) event at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium, earning 9.733 points. This followed her outstanding showing in the nanquan (fist) event the previous day, where she topped the field with 9.746 points.
Her combined score of 19.479 points narrowly edged out Uzbekistan’s Darya Latisheva (19.433) and Singapore’s Kassandra Ong (19.386) to secure the top spot.
Cheong Min is now only the fourth Malaysian athlete to capture gold at the prestigious World Games, which are held every four years. She joins the ranks of bowling duo Daniel Lim and Sharon Low (mixed doubles, Finland 1997) and squash legend Nicol David, who won three golds (Germany 2005, Taiwan 2009, Colombia 2013).
Her triumph was complemented by teammate Sydney Chin, who earlier in the week claimed Malaysia’s first medal of the Games with a bronze in the women’s taijiquan and taijijian all-round event. Sydney posted 19.410 points, finishing behind China’s Lu Zhuoling (19.522) and Singapore’s Zeanne Law (19.430).
Malaysia’s wushu contingent in Chengdu also features Pang Pui Yee and newly crowned Taolu Asia Cup champion Clement Ting.
