Macao bagged a remarkable 6 gold, 10 silver and 8 bronze medals at the 12th Asian Junior Wushu Championship, which was held in Pegasus Watertown in Jiangsu province between 23 and 30 July.
According to the Wushu General Association of Macau (WGAM), the SAR achieved a final ranking of fifth place in the medal tally, behind mainland China (17 gold), Hong Kong (14 gold), Indonesia (12 gold) and Iran (9 gold) – a highly creditable effort, given Macao’s small population.
The city’s first gold medal was earned by Wong Iok Teng, who participated in the junior (female) nangun staff event on Saturday, earning a score of 9.246 points.
The following day, Chan Fenze collected the SAR’s second gold medal with a score of 9.046 points in the children’s (male) nangun staff category, while Kuong Wai Lam won the third gold with 8.943 points in the children’s (male) tai chi category.
Macao’s final three gold medals were attained by Chang Wun Teng, who scored 9.413 points in the youth (female) qiangshu spear competition; Leong San Hei, who achieved 9.09 points in the children’s (female) nandao sword event, and Choi Hou Ieng, who earned 9.11 points in the children’s (female) qiangshu category.
[See more: Why is Macao so good at Wushu?]
On the final day of the tournament yesterday, Macao bagged multiple medals in the children, junior and youth events.
Tang Wai Kit managed to clinch silver in the boy’s junior nandao sword event with a score of 9.236 points. As well, Cai Hou Ieng achieved silver by earning a score of 9.08 points in the girl’s children jianshu (sword fighting) competition. Meanwhile, Leong Io Tong scored silver in the girl’s junior gunshu (staff fighting) event, earning a score of 9.243 points.
For the youth categories, Macao martial artists, Cheung Ut Leng and Chang Wun Teng formed a pair in the women’s youth duilian sparring event, collecting silver with 9.243 points. Their male counterparts Ip Man Lok and Zhang Pok Yui bagged bronze with 9.340 points. In addition, local athlete, Leong Ka Seng, clinched silver in the 52 kg men’s youth sanda (kickboxing) tournament.
According to Macao Daily News, the Macao wushu team is scheduled to return to Macao this afternoon. The team was led by Chan Weng Kit, the president of the WGAM, and consisted of 20 athletes, who were accompanied by seven coaches.
The Macao delegation was among 467 athletes from 24 countries and territories who participated in the biennial event, which is hosted by the Wushu Federation of Asia.
Despite its small size, Macao has a long history of punching above its weight in wushu, achieving stellar results in regional, national and global competitions.
In an interview with Macao News last year, Leong Chong Leng, a vice president of the WGAM, explained that the SAR’s phenomenal wushu performance was due to a variety of factors, including the city’s deep culture of martial arts, the rigorous training involved and the formation of the WGAM.
