This time, Wong gets it right for gold
KUALA LUMPUR – Agatha Wong missed the gold to the world champion a day earlier but returned yesterday more confident, composed and focused to win the gold in the taijiquan event and become the first Filipina to win a wushu gold since 2009.
Wong put on a powerful performance that delighted the crowd and drew a winning score of 9.66 as she emerged the country’s newest wushu queen a day after narrowly losing the gold in taijijian at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center here.
Wong’s performance in taijijian earned her a score of 9.65, just .3 behind the winning score of Indonesian world champ Lindswell Kwok.
She became the first Filipina wushu bet to win a SEAG gold medal since Marianne Mariano ruled the 60kg category in sanshou (combat) in 2009 in Vientianne.
The win is a big follow-up to her gold medal win in the same event held during the seventh Asian Junior Wushu Championships at the Makati Coliseum.
Still in competition at press time were Daniel Parantac in the men’s taijiquan, Kimberly Chua in the women’s changquan, Norlencce Ardee Catolico in the men’s changquan and Thornton Quiney LouSayan in the men’s nanqan.
The silver-medal win of Wong atoned for disastrous finishes in other events dominated by Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand Singapore.
A day earlier, Parantac, playing with a limp, finished fourth (9.56) in the men’s taijijan won by Jack Chang Loh of Malaysia (9.67), Bobie Valentinus Gunawan of Indonesia (9.65) and Jun Kai Chan of Singapore (9.62).
Kimberly Macuha was fifth in the women’s jianshu with a mark of 9.53 behind the gold of Vietnam’s Thuy Vi Duong (9.67), the silver of Malaysian Eyin Phoon (9.63) and the bronze of Singapore’s Hui Xin Fung (9.60).
Macuha was also a far eighth in the women’s qiangshu, scoring 9.28 while Vietnam’s Thuy Vi Guong had 9.67 for gold, Malaysian Eyin Phoon 9.66 for silver and Myanmar’s Sandy Oo 9.65 for bronze.
Catolico finished sixth with a total score of 19.12 in the men’s daoshu and gunshu all-around won by Si Wei Jowen Lim of Singapore (19.37), Achmad Hulaefi of Indonesia (19.35) and Jun Lim Khaw of Malaysia (19.29).
Sayan was eighth among 11 participants with a combined 18.71. Myanmar’s Thein Than Oo took the gold (19.34) , Vietnam’s Quoc Khanh Pham the silver (19.32) and Malaysian Mun Hua Ho the bronze (19.30).