PHNOM PENH, May 10 — National wushu athlete Tan Cheong Min has revealed that there were some who ‘made fun’ of her decision to compete in the 2023 SEA Games.
After winning the first gold for the national wushu camp at the biennial sports event here today, Cheong Min, who is also the 2019 world champion, said many were questioning her decision to compete in the Games while she was preparing for it.
The 24-year-old said the reason they gave was after having already made a name for herself on the world stage, the SEA Games was not a competition of her level.
“Before I came here, a lot of people were saying: Cheong Min, you are already a world champion, so it must be easy for you to compete in the SEA Games”.
“But for me, in wushu, the level of all the countries competing (in the SEA Games) is very high, so it doesn’t matter that I have won the previous World Championship, everything starts from zero again when I go to compete,” she said when met after the women’s Nanquan final here.
In the final which took place at the Chroy Changvar Convention Centre, Cheong Min, who made her first appearance at the SEA Games, clinched the gold after collecting a total of 9.626 points.
The silver medal went to Indonesian, Tasya Ayu Puspa Dewi, with 9.593 points, while Myanmar’s Aye Thitsar Myint (9.143) took home the bronze.
Cheong Min said she was very happy to win the SEA Games gold, something she was really looking forward to as her event was previously not contested.
“In the last edition, my event was not contested, so I felt quite sad during that time but then now, finally, I had the opportunity to represent Malaysia in the SEA Games and I’m very satisfied and proud that I can win the gold medal for Malaysia and myself,” she said.
Meanwhile, her wish to increase her medal tally did not materialise after she and teammates Loh Ying Ting and Pang Pui Yee finished the women’s Duilian final in fifth position. — Bernama
