KUALA LUMPUR: Wushu star Tan Cheong Min has dedicated her historic World Games gold medal to the nation as a Merdeka Day gift.
Cheong Min struck gold in Chengdu on Saturday in the women’s nandao (broadsword) — the first time wushu has been contested as an official event at the World Games.
“This gold medal is not just for me. It is for Malaysia and a gift for this year’s Merdeka Day,” said the Melaka-born athlete.
“Previously, wushu wasn’t an official World Games event, so the Asian Games and World Championships were our highest platforms. I am very proud and happy.”
The former world champion hopes her victory will inspire other athletes to push for excellence and further raise the sport’s profile.
Her win lifted Malaysia’s medal tally at the Chengdu Games to three — one gold, one silver and one bronze.
Buoyed by her success, Cheong Min is now targeting gold at the World Championships in Brazil in September, before switching her focus to the SEA Games in Thailand in December.
She first made her mark by winning the 2017 world title in Kazan in the duilian event, before adding a second world crown in 2019 in Shanghai in the nandao. – Bernama
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
