Tan Cheong Min competes in the wushu women's nangun at the Chroy Changvar Convention Center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, May 11, 2023. — GLENN GUAN/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Cheong Min will end the year on a perfect note after striking gold for Malaysia in the 3rd Taolu World Cup in Yokohama, Japan today (Saturday).
Cheong Min put up a solid performance to earn 9.770 points, thus securing her first career World Cup gold medal.
It was a satisfying victory as she beat the gold and silver medallists from the last world championships in Texas, United States last year.
Cheong Min had taken bronze in the discipline in Texas with gold and silver going to Vietnam's Ni Dang Tran Phuong and Hong Kong's He Jianxin.
The Hong Kong exponent settled for silver in Yokohama with 9.756 points with Tran Phuong taking the bronze 9.646 points.
Only the top eight exponents from the world meet gets to compete in the World Cup meet.
She has thus achieved the feat of making the podium in all the major competitions in her sport.
Cheong Min won the nandao event at the 2019 world championships in Shanghai and then became a double gold medallist for Malaysia at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia.
Last year also saw Cheong Min delivering the only medal in wushu for Malaysia - a silver - at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
It was just in September when she bagged gold in the nandao (broadsword) event at the Asian championships in Macau.
Calvin Lee also contributed silver in men's nandao with 9.760 points. China's Du Hongjie got the gold with 9.800 points.
Wong Weng Son and Sydney Chin secured bronze in the men's changquan and women's taijiquan.
