Lee YingShi (pic, left) and
Karyn Ho Chia Yin won gold in
Shanghai, China, yesterday.
Picture: BT

The national wushu team struck gold once again yesterday, this time at the 6th Asian Junior Wushu Championships in Shanghai, China.

The duo of Lee YingShi and Karyn Ho Chia Yin bagged the Sultanate's only gold medal at the Aug 19-21 competition in the duilian (duo sparring with broadsword and spear) event.

Lee, 17, is no stranger to the discipline having won several medals partnering Faustina Woo Wai Sii. However, the 19-year-old Woo had to sit out for the tournament, which features Under-18 athletes from 24 countries, as she is overaged.

The result is an improvement from the previous edition of the competition held in Macau in 2009 where the team returned with only two bronze medals.

Training has definitely paid off for the team as national assistant coach Ang Lu Guan, who served as a judge in Shanghai, said prior to depature that the team have been preparing for the competition for two years ever since they returned from the previous edition.

Despite the month of Ramadhan, the team continue to train for three hours every afternoon at the Multipurpose Hall of the Menglait Sports Complex.

Besides the two, brothers Mohd Sufi Shayiran, Mohd Adi Sya'rani and Mohd Adi Salihin Roslan all competed at the tournament.

Ang Guat Lian and Dk Nurwardinna Pg Hj Ali complete the list of athletes sent by the Wushu Federation of Brunei Darussalam (WFBD) to China.

Dk Nurwardinna made her debut in the competition while the rest have had prior experience.

Wushu is one of the sports shortlisted for the 26th Southeast Asian Games that will be held in Indonesia in November.

They have been working hard with four hours training sessions, six days a week including a 40-day intensive training stint at the Shanghai Sports Complex in May.

Their last international outing saw them bag four gold, four silver and four bronze medals at the Xinjiang International Wushu Tournament in China from May 13-15.

Mohd Adi Sya'rani pocketed two silver medals in the changquan (long fist) and jianshu (swordplay) events while older brother Mohd Sufi Shayiran won the country's first gold when he took the changquan title before adding a bronze in the daoshu (sword) category.

Woo was the biggest winner for Brunei at the tournament with two gold medals from nandao (southern broad sword) and nanquan (southern fist) events.

She also bagged a silver together with partner Lee in the duilian event. Lee also managed a bronze in the changquan event.

Ho won another gold in the changquan discipline and added a bronze medal in the jianshu event while Harris Adli Peranchis won silver and bronze in nangun (southern cudgel) and nanquan respectively.

WFBD is now eyeing the 11th World Wushu Championships in Turkey from Oct 6-15.

Courtesy from Brunei Times