The duo of Faustina Woo Wai Sii and Lee Ying Shi returned from the 3rd World Junior Wushu Championships in Singapore with proof that the Sultanate can compete in the international arena and national wushu coach Li Hui hopes this will inspire others to join in the fight for medals.

"It was a very good outing because I could see that they had all improved. It also shows that the national junior team are at the same level as the other countries. I hope with this result, it can inspire other Bruneian kids to take up the sport," the coach told The Brunei Times upon the contingent's arrival at the Brunei International Airport in Berakas last night.

"Though I am very happy with the result, we can't be too proud as there is still much work to be done. Next time when we return (to the World Junior Wushu Championships), we will try to beat the rivals.

"There is also the World Traditional Wushu Championship (WTWC) in September and also the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in November to look forward to. I will continue to try my best to teach the kids the skills needed to win a medal, and they need to continue the good effort, observe their discipline and work hard to improve their skills," added the coach.

Woo grabbed Brunei's first medal on Tuesday a bronze in the women's Group A Nanquan (southern fist). She lost to eventual gold medallist China and runner-up Canada.

The following day, the duo of Woo and Lee Ying Shi finished second in the women's Group A (16-18 years old) Duilian (double broadsword and spear play) at the Jurong East Sports & Cultural Centre in Singapore.

The Bruneian pair finished with 9.45 points losing out to the 9.51 points awarded to Vietnam. India took the bronze with 9.44 points.

The duo have bagged a medal in every tournament that they are paired up.

They won the Sultanate's only silver medal at the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane last year.

Also last year, they won the bronze at the 5th Asian Junior Wushu Championships in Macau in June and the 3rd Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam in December.

More recently, they captured the gold medal at the 4th WTWC in Shiyan City, China, in October.

Seven exponents represented the country in Singapore. They were using the tournament to hone their skills and prepare for next year's SEA Games in Indonesia.

Courtesy from Brunei Times