Six from Sarawak off to World Junior Wushu Championships

KUCHING (March 26): Wushu Federation of Sarawak (WFS) views the selection of seven Sarawakians for the national junior squad for the 10th World Junior Wushu Championships in Tianjin, China from March 26-30 as another milestone.

It is the first time that Sarawak has the biggest number of exponents in the Malaysian team to compete at an international competition.

“WFS is proud that our junior development programme is on the right track and producing high calibre athletes to fight for glory and honour for both the state and country at prestigious competitions such as Asia Junior Wushu Championships and World Junior Wushu Championships.

“We have produced national athletes for both championships and we will continue to groom more athletes,” WFS president Allen Wong Siew Poh told The Borneo Post.

The seven were selected by Wushu Federation of Malaysia (WFM) based on their performances at last year’s KPM National Junior Wushu Championships. Previously, the most number of state athletes in the national squad was three.

Serene Teo Xin Ling from Kuching Elite Wushu Club will compete in Girls A taijiquan, taijijian and taijishan, Jun Wei Wushu Club’s Darren Hiing Chee Yik (Boys C nanquan, nandao, nangun), Jun Lun Professional Wushu Training Centre’s Amber Tan Ling Xin (Girls A changquan, daoshu, gunshu), and Crystal Wee Yu Tang (Girls C changquan, daoshu, gunshu) for the taolu events.

Leeroy Valentine Lavern (Boys 65kg) and Jasmond Ting Zhong Xiang (Boys 52kg) from Mad Fight (MMA) Club were selected for sanda events but the latter turned down the offer to don national colours.

Accompanying the Sarawak athletes to Tianjin is state coach Diana Bong Siong Lin.

For the record, Sarawak athletes who represented both championships at previous editions have never failed to bring home medals.

In recent years, Bryan Wee bagged a gold in jianshu and silver in dashu at the 9th World Junior Wushu Championships in 2024 and silver in daoshu at the Asian Junior Wushu Championships in Brunei last year.

Morven Phua Yan Hao won a silver in qiangshu at World Junior Wushu Championships in 2024, while Elvic Bong Qian Zheng, Clement Thian Fung Sheng and Nicholas Kho How Chun were members of the Malaysian team which won two gold, five silver, and six bronze medals at the World Junior Wushu Championships in 2012.