Little Tan stands tall

Wowing ’em: Tan Cheong Min performing during the women’s nanquan, nandao and nangun combined events. — GLENN GUAN/The Star

BANGKOK: She is just 151cm – but pint-exponent Tan Cheong Min stood tallest at the Cheng Wattana Government Complex, bagging two gold medals for Malaysia on the final day of wushu competition.

And she did it despite a niggling muscle ache.

Cheong Min ruled the women’s nanquan, nandao and nangun combined events competition after garnering a total of 29.623 points. Vietnam’s Dang Tran Phuong Nhi took silver with 29.112 ahead of Singapore’s Kassandra Ong, who chalked a total of 28.579.

The 27-year-old reigning world champion then stepped out with the same aggressive stance to bag her second gold in the women’s duilian weapons event with Loh Ying Ting and Pang Pui Yee.

The Malaysian trio’s energetic display earned them 9.730 points, finishing ahead of Thailand (9.646) and Myanmar (9.606).

Cheong Min now has a total of four gold medals from her two SEA Games appearances, making her the most successful Malaysian wushu exponent.

She also won a double at the last Games in Cambodia two years ago in nanquan; and nangun and nandao combined events.

Cheong Min said she was not in top physical condition as she had to deal with a muscle strain due to back-to-back events.

“I felt a bit of muscle strain going into my final event. The doctor gave me a painkiller.

“But then, this was my last day and I could not let slip the chance.

“Before we came here, we were not sure whether the wushu competition would even take place because of the flood situation in Songkhla province.

“It has been a long and busy year for me as we had the World Games in Chengdu, then the World Championships in Brazil and then this SEA Games.

“Winning the team event is a bonus for us,” said Cheong Min, who became Malaysia’s first World Games gold medallist in wushu in August.

Ying Ting was also pleased to secure her second gold at the Thailand SEA Games. She had partnered Sydney Chin and Mandy Cebelle Chen to clinch the first gold for Malaysia in the women’s duilian barehands category on Saturday.

“This is my fourth Games but the first one where I did not have any individual event as the organisers did not include the daoshu discipline.

“I am happy we did so well, considering we only had two months to practise together,” said Ying Ting.

Malaysia’s wushu team thus wrapped up their SEA Games campaign with an impressive tally of three gold, one silver and five bronze medals.

Pui Yee grabbed a silver in the women’s jianshu, qiangshu and changquan combined events with a total of 29.239 points. Bryan Ti Kai Jie contributed bronze in the men’s nandao, nangun and nanquan combined events.