Wushu’s Cheong Min and Shin Peng set benchmarks at World Championships

Making us proud: Tan Cheong Min and Si Shin Peng (below) posing with their medals at the World Championships in Brazil.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian wushu team enjoyed one of their best days at the World Championships with not one but two golden strikes in Brasilia, Brazil.

Tan Cheong Min consolidated her status Malaysia’s most successful wushu exponent on the world stage after she secured the women’s nangun (cudgel) gold medal at the Ulysses Guimaraes Convention Centre.

Malaysian wushu exponent Si Shin Peng

The 27-year-old scored 9.746 points to secure her second medal in the world meet.

She edged out Taiwan’s Hsuan Chao-tang, who took silver with 9.723 points, while South Korea’s Byun Si-woo settled for bronze with 9.710 points.

Cheong Min, the World Games gold medallist in Chengdu, China, last month, had taken silver in the women’s nandao event on Wednesday.

Melaka-born Cheong Min now has won a total of nine World Championship medals since her debut in 2017.

Cheong Min, who was also the world champion in duilian in Kazan (2017) and in nandao (2019), surpassed two-time world champion Wong Weng Son as the all-time top performer.

Apart from the three golds, she has also earned four silver and two bronze medals throughout her career.

Another Melakan, Si Shin Peng also rewrote history on the third day of competition as the first Malaysian to clinch two gold medals in one World Championship outing.

Shin Peng was a picture of agility and power as he wielded his sword to come out tops in the men’s jianshu (sword) event with a score of 9.746 points.

Chin Ka Hou of Macau clinched silver with 9.736 points and Hong Kong’s Chen Jinsong won bronze with 9.733 points.

Shin Peng delivered Malaysia’s first gold on Thursday in the qiangshu (spear) event.

“I am thankful to Wushu Federation of Malaysia and president (Datuk Chong Kim Fatt) for giving me this opportunity to compete in the World Championships and keeping me in the programme, also the coaches for supporting and preparing me,” said the 23-year-old, who is only making his world meet debut.

After three days of competition, Malaysia have collected three gold, one silver and one bronze to proudly sit in second place behind China (6-0-0).

The bronze was won by Lee Jia Rong in women’s gunshu event on Wednesday.