HANGZHOU, Sept 23 — The country’s wushu athlete Wong Weng Son has great potential to make it to the podium in the men’s changquan discipline at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Since undergoing intensive training in Tianjin, China, a month ago, Wong has managed to raise the difficulty level to compete with the world’s best athletes, including the host wushu champion.
The 31-year-old former world champion admitted he is in prime position to bring the national contingent their first medal, ahead of tomorrow’s competition at the Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre here and make up for the disappointment at the 2018 edition in Jakarta – Palembang, Indonesia.
“In wushu, performances alone are not enough. You can be the best, but small mistakes on the day (of the competition) can be very costly. Five years ago in Indonesia, I was in good shape, but during the competition, there were mistakes in my routine.
“Now, after a month of preparation in China, I feel good. If I manage to deliver my best performance with minimum mistakes, I am sure I will win a medal,” he said to the press earlier today.
The manager of the wushu squad for Hangzhou 2022, Yong Kheng Chien, said the 2017 world champion in Kazan, Russia, has a good chance of winning a medal if he puts up a perfect performance.
“He (Wong) told me personally that the coaching in China has helped him a lot to improve his performance. He trained there and met athletes from various other countries, which also gave him confidence.
“He is also aware of his age, so he is also increasing the difficulty level and going all out. If he can do that, his chances of making it to the podium will be much higher,” he said.
Wong won the gold medal in jianshu at the 2017 World Championships, and took two silver medals in changquan at the 2015 and 2019 World Championships.
However, the Negeri Sembilan-born athlete, who has won three gold medals at two World Championships, has yet to win a medal at the Asian Games, where he finished ninth in the changquan competition in Indonesia.
— Bernama
