PHNOM PENH, May 11 — The ongoing 2023 SEA Games may well be national wushu exponent Wong Weng Son’s final outing in the biennial Games, after he failed to bag the gold medal that he cherishes, earlier today.
The 2017 world champion in the jianshu event admitted to being disappointed at failing to capture his first-ever gold medal in his fifth SEA Games outing.
Having made his debut at the Myanmar Games in 2013, Wong’s hopes of bagging his first gold medal were dashed when he could only come in second in the men’s Taolu event, which combines the qiangshu and jianshu disciplines.
The Malaysian accumulated 19.103 points to finish behind gold medallist Muhammad Daffa Golden Boy (19.326 points) of Indonesia and silver medallist Sandrex Navida Gainsan (18.926 points) of the Philippines.
But he is not done with the sport, yet, as he hopes to do better at a higher level by eyeing the glitter of gold in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from Sept 23 to Oct 8 and the 2023 World Wushu Championships in Dallas, the United States from Nov 16-20.
“It does leave a bad taste in my mouth… I ask myself why I can’t get the gold and still have to be satisfied with silver. Is this fated?
“If it is, I can accept it. I will not give up because this year there are still the Asiad and world meet. Hopefully, I can bag gold there,” Wong said when met at the Chroy Changvar Convention Centre.
This is his fourth silver medal at the biennial Games and the Cambodia edition is his first competitive outing since the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I am not disappointed, just sad because this is my fifth SEA Games outing and it is my fourth silver medal. I was hoping to strike gold but I guess it’s just not my day,” he said.
Asked if he has any plans to retire, Wong said he would decide on that after the Asiad and world meet.
The 31-year-old said that physically he is ready, but mentally he is still unsure.
“Of course, physically I can continue but I must still have the fire to go on… especially now that I failed to win the gold, I am feeling a little down,” said the exponent, who hails from Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.
Meanwhile, the wushu camp captured a bronze medal on the second day of competition through Pang Pui Yee in women’s Taolu with 18.246 points.
Vietnam’s Duong Thuy Vi (19.229 points) bagged gold while Myanmar’s Sandy Oo (19.086 points) took silver.
— Bernama
