Wong cops first Taolu W Cup bronze

Agatha Christensen Wong kept the Wushu Federation Philippines’ winning tradition as she bagged a bronze medal in the taijijian event of the first Taolu World Cup in Fuzhou, China recently.

Wong, 18-year-old lass from Quezon City, barely missed the silver medal to Malaysian Lu Yi Chan via slimmest of margin, 9.499.50. Hong Kong’s Suijin Chen took the gold medal with a score of 9.53 at the seat of taolu (routine exercises).

Mentored by former taijiquan standout Bobby Co, Wong qualified for the World Cup to be staged biennially via a silver-medal showing in the last year’s World Wushu Championship where the country figured in a tie for eighth with 2-2-1 medal tally.

Last September, Wong, a third year student at De La Salle University, also narrowly missed the silver medal in the ninth Asian Wushu Championship.

“We are confident with the continuing support of the Philippine Sports Commission, Agatha will overtake her Malaysian rival to win the gold medal in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games,” said WFP president Tan She Ling.

The PSC-sponsored Wong barged into the international scene at 15, winning the taijiquan gold medal in the seventh Asian Junior Wushu Championship. She captured the taijijian gold in the sixth Asean Schools Games the following year.

Wong capped her stint as junior by copping gold and bronze medals in the taijiquan 42 forms and taijijian 42 forms events, respectively, of the eighth Asian Junior Wushu Championships.

Earlier this month, Filipino athletes brought home a gold, two silvers and a bronze from the eighth Sanda World Cup.