Stephanie Ngu in action during the 3rd Sarawak Wuwang Cup International Invitational Wushu Championship at the Sarawak Indoor Stadium In Petra Jaya last year. — Photo by Teo Chi Wei
KUCHING: State wushu athlete Stephanie Ngu Chai Ern is hoping to be third time lucky when she competes in Malaysia Games (Sukma) Johor from March 16 to 24 next year.
The 16-year-old Sibu lass, who studies at Chung Hua Middle School No. 3 Kuching, will be gunning for gold in three events namely jianshu, qiangshu and changquan.
In 2016, Stephanie captured two bronze medals in the women’s optional routine jianshu and optional routine qiangshu in Sukma Sarawak in Kuching.
Two years ago in Sukma Perak in Ipoh, she contributed a silver medal in women’s jianshu, a bronze in women’s qiangshu and finished eighth in women’s changquan.
“I am confident that with persistent and consistent training, having exposure stint in China and doubled with reaching peak performance in March, I am capable of achieving my target, especially in my pet event jianshu.
“Despite the normal training sessions have stopped after the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO) and Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) following the Covid-19 pandemic, we have not stopped training which is now done at home via video call,” she said.
Stephanie first took up wushu classes under coach Lam Chee Keong when she was 11 years old at SJK (c) Tai Kwong in Sibu, under the influence of her brother Rafael.
Her first gold medals in Foundation jianshu, qiangshu and changquan were won in the Sibu Inter-School Age Group Wushu Competition in 2012 which she successfully defended the following year.
Her talents were spotted by state coaches and through the recommendation of Lam, who is Sungai Merah Wushu Club deputy president, Stephanie was roped into the state backup squad as Wushu Federation of Sarawak (WFS) arranged for her to be relocated to SJK Kenyalang before moving to Chung Hua Middle School No. 3.
In her Sarawak Wushu Championship debut in 2013, Stephanie captured gold in Foundation jianshu, silver in Foundation daoshu and bronze in Foundation qiangshu.
She then collected a silver medal in Girls Group C nanquan in her Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (KPM) Wushu Championship debut in Johor in 2014.
This was followed by two bronzes – in Girls Group C changquan and qiangshu – at the KPM Wushu Championship in Penang in 2016.
The following year at the KPM Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Stephanie won gold in Group B jianshu, silver in Group B qiangshu and bronze in Group B changquan.
She also excelled in the 1st Sarawak Wuwang Cup International Invitational Wushu Championship at the Sarawak Indoor Stadium where she claimed four gold medals (optional routine changquan, jianshu, qiangshu and group event), one gold (optional routine changquan) and two silvers (optional routine jianshu and qiangshu) in the second edition and bagged gold medals in optional routine changquan, jianshu and qiangshu in the third edition last year.
“I must thank Sungai Merah Wushu Club Sibu president Tiong Yong Hee for the adoption by sponsoring my food, pocket money and giving me incentives whenever I do well in national and international competitions.
“Thanks also goes to Sarawak State Sports Council coach Ling Ung Hee who has been coaching and guiding me since 2013 as well as the strong support from my parents, friends and fellow wushu athletes,” she added.
She is also hoping to make the national squad by performing well in the coming Sukma 2020 in Johor.