ABOVE & BELOW: The Brunei Wushu Team in a group photo; and Adi Salihin in action. PHOTO: CONTRIBUTOR
PHOTO: CONTRIBUTOR
National women’s wushu athlete Basma Lachkar achieved a milestone for Brunei Darussalam after winning the silver medal in the women’s Taijijian (Tai Chi Sword) event at the 4th Wushu Taolu World Cup in Haikou, Hainan, China. PHOTO: CONTRIBUTOR
National women’s wushu athlete Basma Lachkar delivered a remarkable performance for Brunei Darussalam after securing the silver medal in the women’s Taijijian (Tai Chi Sword) event at the 4th Wushu Taolu World Cup in Haikou, Hainan, China.
The achievement marks Brunei’s best-ever result at the prestigious competition and represents a major milestone for the Brunei Wushu Team on the international stage.
In the women’s Taijijian event, Basma overcame the pressure of finishing fourth in the Taijiquan event the previous day to produce a composed and flawless routine, with her movements perfectly synchronised to the music.
She earned a score of 9.746 points to claim silver, narrowly behind gold medallist Japan, who scored 9.773 points, while Singapore took bronze with 9.743 points.
Meanwhile, national wushu athlete Adi Salihin finished fourth in the men’s Nangun event after recording 9.740 points.
Adi, who was the first athlete to perform in the event, showed signs of fatigue during his routine and made minor execution errors. At the elite level, even small mistakes can significantly affect scores, making his fourth-place finish a commendable achievement.
Hong Kong, China won gold with 9.773 points, followed by Indonesia with silver at 9.750 points and Chinese Taipei with bronze at 9.746 points.
Over the two-day competition, Brunei’s three qualifying athletes – Walid Lachkar, Adi Salihin and Basma Lachkar – competed in five events: Changquan, Nanquan, Taijiquan, Nangun and Taijijian.
All three athletes finished among the top five, with Basma securing a silver medal while Walid and Adi placed fourth in their respective events.
The results also reflected the continued progress of Brunei’s wushu programme, with all athletes improving their rankings compared to last year’s World Championships in Brazil.
Head Coach Li Hui and Women’s Taijiquan Coach Zhao Chunjie expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, saying the athletes handled the pressure of a high-level competition well and demonstrated the quality of their training.
Following the tournament, the team conducted a debriefing session to review their performances, identify areas for improvement and develop a targeted training plan ahead of the upcoming Asian Games in Japan.
The Brunei Wushu Team also expressed appreciation to the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Brunei Wushu Federation for their continued support. – James Kon
