WUSHU Parantac looks ahead to 2019 SEA Games
National wushu team member Daniel Parantac is looking forward to representing the country in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games despite the pressure to come up with a worthy performance following successful international stints this year.
Parantac, along with Agatha Wong, accounted for the PH team’s three of the five gold medals won in the 1st Asian Traditional Wushu Championships in Nanjing, China last November.
It was a bumpy road leading to their triumphant campaign in Nanjing. Parantac recalled how they ran into problems at the airport due to weather conditions before making it to the competition venue.
“Coach said not to think about it, so that’s what we did. We got a good result and then almost one hundred percent of the athletes got a medal,” said Parantac in Filipino in an exclusive interview with MB Sports Online.
Looking ahead, the 28-year-old Parantac is excited to compete in the SEA Games at home soil.
“I’m inspired and pressured. I’m hoping Filipinos will look forward to this competition,” said Parantac.
The PH team faces a busy schedule ahead. Aside from local training, the Nationals will also train in China and compete in the World Wushu Championships in Shanghai before the biennial meet.
As with any athletes, Parantac said he has to deal with some nasty injuries.
At the 2005 SEA Games, he had a surgery on his right knee. It has been bothering him for the last two years, but Parantac said he was able to recover.
Other old minor injuries, were slowly coming back.
“During rigid training, my back hurts,” said Parantac.
When asked on what may possibly be lacking to build awareness on wushu, Parantac singled out the language barrier.
“Unlike other countries like Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam and Malaysia, athletes can speak Chinese. They can understand their coaches,” Parantac said.