Baguio Wushu Federation’s Alessandra May Arevalo Maquilan has contributed a silver and a bronze medal for the Philippine Wushu Team during the 9th World Kung Fu Championships in Emeishan, Sichu-an Province, China from Aug. 23 to 28.
Overall, the national squad clinched one gold, three silver, and one bronze me-dal.
Maquilan won a silver in 42 steps tai ji quan and a bronze in the 42 steps tai ji jian (sword) during the competition hailed as the “Olympic Games of Wushu.”
The grade 9 student of the Philippine Science High School-Baguio campus is part of the three-man Philippine team led by former international campaigner and coach Daniel Parantac.
Her teammates from the national team, Giovanni Moses Lim won gold in the tang quan while Tate Mathew Chuang won two silver medals in chen style group D and chen style taiji jian during the event that drew 7,000 athletes from 53 countries and regions.
Parantac said they are thankful for those who assisted the team as the preparation has been challenging for they have been training even at the height of Typhoon Egay.
Parantac said Maquilan has shown diligence in training by attending two sessions with the team then self-training when at home.
Before going to China, Parantac has requested the Wushu Federation Manila if Maquilan can train with the national team, which has been helpful for the young athlete.
Maquilan was selected for the national team, but the promising athlete has not fully joined the team yet due to her schooling.
Due to the level of competition and with 7,000 strong athletes in various events, Parantac said the waiting time was long, but the athletes remained focus on their events.
The competition this year consists of domestic and overseas events, and individual, duilian (choreographed sparring) and jiti events (group routine), covering multiple schools of traditional wushu.
Of these, individual events are divided into men and women groups, and competitors are classified into five age brackets of children, teenagers, juniors, middle-aged adults and seniors.
The World Kung Fu Championships is held every two years and is currently the largest, highest-level and most influential major sports event in global wushu.
The event is organized by the International Wushu Federation and the Chinese Wushu Association. – Ofelia C. Empian
