CHEONG MIN LONGS TO REGAIN WORLD CHAMPION TITLE

From Muhammad Afiff Md Adnan

NANTONG (China), Nov 6 (Bernama) – Since her last world champion title in 2019 in Shanghai, Malaysia’s wushu queen Tan Cheong Min admits to feeling a deep longing to relive that sweet victory.

The 26-year-old from Cheng, Melaka, shared that her unfulfilled desire to reclaim the world champion title after winning only bronze in the 2023 edition has taught her a lot and reignited her ambition to recreate the cherished memory from six years ago.

Determined to make up for past disappointments, she plans to participate in the 2025 World Wushu Championships in Brazil, scheduled from Sept 7 to 14 next year.

"Of course, I miss it. During the 2023 World Wushu Championships in Fort Worth, USA, I may have been affected by too many tournaments, leaving my body unable to recover in time.

"Additionally, having a fever and cold, along with the weather there, caused my performance to suffer. But I don’t want to use that as an excuse,” said Cheong Min, who is participating in the ASEAN-China Wushu Championship at Nantong University here.

Having recently won her first gold at the Asian Championships in Macau in September, this past experience has motivated her to be even more prepared for the upcoming championship, which will feature many world-class competitors.

"If selected, I will do my best and try to recreate the memory of the 2019 World Championship," she added.

Cheong Min closed out the ASEAN-China Wushu Championship here by contributing a gold in the nanquan event and a silver in the women’s nandao event.

This inaugural wushu championship, held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China, has seen Malaysia win 10 gold and seven silver so far.

-- BERNAMA