Too taxing for future accountant
Fong Ying quits wushu to focus on pursuing her degree
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s most successful wushu exponent Chai Fong Ying has quit the national team, thus jeopardising Malaysia’s chances of glory when they host the World Wushu Championships in Kuala Lumpur in October.
Fong Ying, who has won two Asian Games gold medals and is a three-time winner at the World Championships in the taiji discipline, has decided to stop to focus on her studies as she’s pursuing a degreeinaccountancyatUniversiti Putra Malaysia.
Another reason Fong Ying, who will be 27 by the time the world meet is held in October, has decided to call it quits is because of the back and knee injuries she had suffered over the years.
“I need to graduate with a degree first. I won’t be able to finish my studies if I continue. I started my degree in 2006 but deferred my studies a few times due to my commitments with the national team,” said the Malaccaborn lass, who expects to graduate next January.
Fong Ying also said that it had been tough for her to continue staying at the top of her game due to the injuries she had suffered.
“I sustained them many years ago but never went for surgeries. It’s tough to continue because my event involves a lot of squatting,” she said.
“My knees can’t take the vigorous training and pressures of competitions anymore.”
The soft-spoken Fong Ying has tasted success at the SEA Games and Asian Championships but it was at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha that she created history by becoming the first Malaysian woman exponent to strike gold before retaining the title in Guangzhou four years later.
She’s also the first Malaysian woman exponent to win at the World Championships in Hanoi in 2005, before repeating the feat in Beijing (2007) and Istanbul (2011).
“My most cherished moments in the sport will be winning at the Asian Games (which are held once every four years) and at the World Championships (held once every two years),” she said.
Asked what she planned to do after finishing her studies, Fong Ying said: “I want to be a professional accountant ... but I’m not ruling out coaching in my free time.”
Fong Ying hails from Batu Berendam in Malacca and her younger sister Fong Wei is also in the national team.
“Our family still has Fong Wei, who has also won medals at the world meet, in the national team. We’ll be rooting for her now,” said Fong Ying, who is currently in Henan, China.
Fong Ying said she’s there to enhance her knowledge as a coach.
“I want to brush up on my skills as it will help me with coaching in the future,” she said.
It’s tough to continue because my event involves a lot of squatting. My knees can’t take the rigorous training and pressures of competitions anymore. — CHAI FONG YING