Cheong Min settles for bronze after slip-up in Nandao routine

NAGOYA - National wushu exponent Tan Cheong Min had to settle for the bronze medal in the women’s combined nanquan and nandao event at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games after making a mistake while landing during her nandao routine today.

Cheong Min accumulated 19.389 points, scoring 9.726 in nanquan and 9.663 in nandao, to finish third overall in the competition at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall here.

The gold medal went to China’s Zhang Yaling with 19.569 points (9.783, 9.786), while Darya Latisheva of Uzbekistan took silver with 19.413 points (9.703, 9.710).

Cheong Min, who won silver in the same event at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, said a minor mistake while landing during her nandao routine affected her score.

"Honestly, I did not expect to win bronze because our target was at least silver, and possibly to challenge for gold.

"I made a mistake during the nandao event. I was slightly unstable when landing, which resulted in points being deducted,” she said.

The 24-year-old athlete was nevertheless grateful to have contributed a medal to the national contingent after undergoing extensive preparations for the Games.

"I am a little disappointed for the Malaysian team and myself because we had been preparing for this for a long time.

"I feel fortunate that I was still able to win a medal. Things could have been worse and I might not have made the podium.

"Although my performance was not perfect, I am still happy and grateful that all our hard work at least resulted in a bronze medal,” she said. - BERNAMA