Malaysian Wushu star Tan Cheong Min defends title, eyes Asian Games gold

Malaysia's top Wushu athlete, Tan Cheong Min, has successfully defended her women's nangun title at the Taolu World Cup held in China. The 27-year-old athlete expressed that her satisfaction stems not only from retaining her championship but also from the significant improvement in her routine performance, which has garnered widespread recognition.

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This victory is more meaningful than just defending a gold medal. Most importantly, everyone could see the clear improvement in my routine because many said my skills have improved.

Tan described her performance this time as much more polished and convincing compared to her previous appearances, attributing the progress to dedicated hard work during her preparation. "This victory is more meaningful than just defending a gold medal. Most importantly, everyone could see the clear improvement in my routine because many said my skills have improved," she stated. She proudly added, "I feel very proud to present this medal to the team and the country. This is my first competition of 2026, and it provides a very good start to the season."

Cheong Min secured the gold medal with a score of 9.746 points, narrowly defeating Darya Latisheva of Uzbekistan, who scored 9.736, and Kassandra Ong of Singapore, who took bronze with 9.723 points. This triumph comes at a crucial time as the national wushu squad prepares for the larger challenge of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in 2026, which is the team's primary focus for the season.

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I feel very proud to present this medal to the team and the country. This is my first competition of 2026, and it provides a very good start to the season.

Cheong Min believes her win will serve as a significant morale booster, encouraging her to further enhance her performance in the remaining competitions this year. "This victory also serves as a morale booster for me to prepare for competitions after this," she remarked. Her success contributed to Malaysia's strong showing at the Haikou event, where Lee Jia Rong also won gold in the women's daoshu, boosting the national contingent's confidence ahead of the Asian Games.

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This victory also serves as a morale booster for me to prepare for competitions after this.