SANDREX GAINSAN won the qiangshu (spear play) golf medal at the recent 8th World Junior Wushu Championships 2022 in Tangerang, Indonesia.
Gainsan’s teammates Vincent Ventura, 18, and Zion Diaraliay, 14, grabbed a bronze each in nandao (southern broadsword) 15 years and under class and 42-step taijiquan 12 to 14 years categories, respectively, for six-athlete Team Philippines.
Gainsan beat Singapore’s Shaoyang Ian Sim and Malaysia’s Waipeng Hew on his way to duplicating his golden performance at the 10th Asian Junior Wushu Championships three years ago in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
“Gainsan’s mint was the country’s fifth in seven junior worlds engagements, a strong indication of the strength of the WFP’s [Wushu Federation Philippines] junior development program,” WFP president Freddie Jalasco said.
“We are elated with the victory,” said delegation head, Julian Camacho, WFP secretary general and International Wushu Federation executive board member.
The Philippine Sports Commission underwrote the team’s participation in the biennial event.
Baguio City’s Krisna Malecdan (56 kgs) and Rhomlaiza Dagson (48kgs) and Davao City’s Geoff Basto Bustamante (56 kgs) failed to advance to the medal round of the sanda event.
Chinese coach Li Jian Fang and former sanda world champion Jessie Aligaga coached the squad under head coach Samson Co, a back-to-back taolu world champion.