Wushu: Modest target for newbies to Asian Youth Wushu tourney

PETALING JAYA: There will be no pressure on the current squad to repeat the impressive achievement from the last edition when the Asian Youth Wushu Championships begin in Manila today.

Malaysia raked in four golds, six silvers and seven bronzes at the last Asian youth meet in Shanghai two years ago.

But Wushu Federation of Malaysia (WFM) deputy president Ling Eng Chan said they would not heap any pressure on the relatively new 12-member squad, comprising mainly debutants and led by former Asian Games champion Ho Ro Bin.

“We have set them a modest target of two or three gold medals,” said Eng Chan.

“We have to be fair to the kids as some of them are only representing Malaysia for the first time.

“We are not expecting them to equal or surpass the previous achievement from Shanghai.

“Let them perform at their very best and see where it takes them. Hopefully, there’ll be some surprises.”

Malaysia will compete in the taolu (routine) and sanda (combat) in three diffe- rent age groups – A (16-18 years), B (13-15 years) and C (12 years below) – for boys and girls.