Versatile Kho aims high

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RARING TO GO: Sarawak wushu junior exponents, Nicholas Kho (centre), Clement Thian (right), Elvic Bong (front) and Fu with coach Ling Ung Hee. — Photo by Teo Chi Wei

Exponents gunning for medals at World Junior Wushu meet

KUCHING: State junior wushu exponent Nicholas Kho How Chun is eager to strut his stuff at the 4th World Junior Wushu Championship in Macau, China from Sept 17-25.

The standard five student of SJK Chung Hua No. 3 is also ready to prove that he is not only good in his studies and performing arts but also in wushu.

The talented 11-year-old won gold medals in the jazz dance, hip hop dance and vocal rock at the recent World Champion of Performing Arts (WCOPA) 2012 held in Los Angeles of the United States last month.

Apart from that, he also won silver medals in ethnic dance, dance open, song and dance, vocal pop and a bronze in vocal open category.

Nicholas, who has been practising wushu on and off for about six years, is going for gold in the Boys C elementary chang quan and qiang shu.

He is also excited about being given the chance to represent Malaysia and is looking forward to the world meet in his debut appearance in the international arena.

Although he is nursing a sprained ankle, Nicholas is still determined to compete and brave the pain.

“Hopefully, after some traditional Chinese treatment for the next few days, I can recover soon to give a good show and earn glory for Sarawak and Malaysia,” he said with confidence.

The fact that he was chosen over gold medallist, Tan Cheong Wan of Melaka at the recent Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia (KPM) Wushu Championship in Ipoh, Perak in April by the panel of national coaches, will spur him more to win medals.

Nicholas was the silver medallist in Boys C chang quan and qiang shu at the national junior meet, losing the gold only to older opponents. For another debutant 10-year-old Fu Wen Jie, this is a very good chance for her to compete at a higher level.

“I am hoping to win medals in Girls C Elementary chang quan and jian shu,” the standard four pupil of SJK Chung Hua No. 4 said in the interview at Civic Centre Kuching yesterday.

The third debutant in the world meet Clement Thian Fung Seng is equally excited at the idea of representing the country.

“I am very happy and excited to be selected to represent the country,” said the Boys B nan quan gold medallist and silver medallist in the nan dao and nan gun at this year’s KPM wushu championship.

A transition class student at SMK Kuching High, the 13-year-old Clement is targeting to finish among the top three in the Boys B nan quan, nan dao and nan gun.

He feels little pressure to perform but vows to give his best to win medals for Sarawak and Malaysia.

Clement’s schoolmate Elvic Bong Qian Zheng, aged 13, is the most experienced of the Sarawak quartet in the national junior team. He is also the leader of the state’s four junior exponents bound for Macau.

“This is my third appearance in an international competition and second at the World Junior Wushu championship and I am confident of doing better than the previous meets,” he told the Borneo Post.

Elvic is gunning for the top three spots in the Boys B jian shu and qiang shu where he is pitted against the world’s best from China, Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia and Iran.

“I am honoured for being selected to represent the country again,” said the transition class student who hails from Batu Kawa.

He competed in the 3rd World Junior Wushu championship in Singapore in 2010 where he finished fifth in Boys C qiang shu and ninth in chang quan.

At the 6th Asian Junior Wushu championship in Shanghai, China in August last year, Elvic brought home a silver that was won in the Boys C qiang shu and he also finished fifth in chang quan.

He captured four golds at the KPM championship in the Boys B chang quan, qiang shu, jian shu and dui lian. Meanwhile, Wushu, Lion and Dragon Dance Federation of Sarawak (WLFS) coach, Ling Ung Hee is proud that Sarawak has four exponents in the national junior squad.

Sarawak has 100 per cent representation in Boys B category and 50 per cent in both Boys C and Girls C. Ling, who is also Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) centre of excellence for wushu, Kuching coach, said she has high hopes for the quartet to do well in Macau.

“We are banking on Nicholas and Fu to win medals in the Group C competition because there is no requirement for difficult maneuvers in this category. Whereas in Group B, the competitors will have to execute high level of difficult moves in taolu,” she said.

The coach responsible for producing a host of national exponents said the key to doing well at the world meet would be good discipline and attitude.

“I always stress on these two qualities when training my students and if you have both in any sport, there’s always the good chance of winning medals,” she declared.

She is hoping the four exponents would continue to display a high level of discipline and good learning attitude when undergoing the two-week centralised training at the national training centre at Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur next month. The exponents have been training daily for four hours under her ever since the KPM meet in April.

They will leave for Kuala Lumpur on Aug 28 and return to Kuching on Sept 26.