Birthday heartbreak for Cheong Min
was a birthday Tan Cheong Min would want to forget as her bid to win a medal in wushu ended up in frustration yesterday.
Cheong Min, who turned 20 yesterday, failed to make her dream a reality following a mistake in the nandao event at the Jakarta Exhibition & Convention Centre.
The Melaka-born was placed second in the nanquan discipline with 9.71 points on Sunday and she needed a decent performance in the nandao for a medal.
Cheong Min was performing well on the mat, but a slip after executing an airborne routine saw her only earning 9.44 points for a two-day total of 19.15 to finish fourth.
“It was unexpected. I did not foresee it (the mistake) happening as I was confident throughout my routine,” Cheong Min, who was in tears after the event.
“I am very sad, but still I am satisfied with my ranking on my debut. I really wanted to finish on the podium as I turned 20 today.”
As expected, China’s Lu Tang won the nanquan-nandao combined event with a 19.49 total.