Fadhil Yunus
Brunei Darussalam’s wushu exponent Hosea Wong Zheng Yu contributed to the country’s historic feat at the World Games 2022 after winning silver in the men’s combined Taijiquan and Taijijian event at the Bill Battle Coliseum in Birmingham, Alabama of the United States (US) yesterday.
The national athlete accumulated a combined score of 18.924 points behind gold medallist Wonhee Yu of South Korea, who managed 18.980 points, and ahead of bronze medallist Hong Kong’s Chung Hei Yeung with 18.903 points.
Hosea’s achievement came just a day after his teammate Basma Lachkar struck gold in the women’s combined Taijiquan and Taijijian event.
This edition, viewed as one of the five major Games in the world, saw Brunei tally their first medals in the highly prestigious world meet since its inception in Santa Clara, US in 1981.
National coach Li Hui said, “Today we ended our campaign with one gold and one silver in this prestigious championship.”
The national coach, who has overseen the development of the sport in Brunei for more than a decade, shared that the nation has won admiring glances from international coaches and referees.
“Coaches and referees from all over the world are amazed with Brunei’s achievement,” he said.
“Under the guidance of coach Zhou, both athletes displayed near perfect performance without any mistakes. There’s no deduction in points for mistakes.
“This is a dream come true for the athletes as we managed to compete and obtain medals on a world stage competition,” said Li Hui, adding that the achievement has helped boost Brunei’s reputation in the world stage.
The coach also expressed hopes that Brunei will be able to compete in wushu once the sport is drafted into the Olympics.
He also conveyed his appreciation to the Government of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, particularly the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council, and the Brunei Darussalam Wushu Federation for their continued support.
The World Games commonly features sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games, and is usually held a year after the Olympics.
The national pair of Basma and Hosea earned their rights to compete after gaining qualification based on rankings at the 15th World Wushu Championships in Shanghai, China in 2019.
