CHEONG MIN IN NO HURRY TO JOIN THE SENIOR RANKS

PETALING JAYA: Rising wushu star Tan Cheong Min (pic) is in no hurry to make the step up to the senior ranks.

The 18-year-old from Malacca ended her junior career on a high last Monday when she clinched gold in the Group A (16-18) nanquan (barehands southern style) event at the World Junior Championships in Burgas, Bulgaria.

She also won a silver in nangun (cudgel) and a bronze in nandao (broadsword).

“I’m so happy with my results in Bulgaria. There’s no better way to bid farewell to my junior career than as a world champion,” said Cheong Min, who also won a gold in nandao at the 2013 Asian Championships in Manila.

“I was really determined to add the world crown to the Asian title ... so, it’s kind of like mission accomplished.”

But Cheong Min knows that her achievements at the junior level will count for nothing when she eventually makes her foray into the senior ranks, which she described as “a lot more competitive”.

“In junior competitions, exponents are mainly judged on how well they execute the fixed routines, but that isn’t the case at the senior level,” she explained.

“Although exponents at the senior level have fixed routines as well, they are free to re-arrange certain movements.

“So, it’s how mature, distinctive and powerful your performance is that makes you stand out from the rest.”

It remains to be seen if Cheong Min will be handed a debut in one of the two major events next year – the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games and World Championships in Kazan.

World champions Diana Bong and Tai Cheau Xuen are the top two exponents in the nanquan discipline.

“I still have a long way to go to reach the level of Diana and Cheau Xuen,” said Cheong Min.

“I’m in the Kita Juara (SEA Games) programme, but I’m not sure what the arrangement is like for me.

“It will all depend on the head coach (Lim Yew Fai). For now, I’ll just keep working hard, be patient and bide my time.”