PH wushu team clinches 6 medals at IWUF championships in Texas
PH trio delivers WFP’s 1st team gold in world wushu championships | Photos from Wushu Federation Philippines/Facebook
The Philippines has produced three world champions once again, this time in wushu.
The country’s wushu trio—Mark Lester Ragay, Mark Anthony Polo, and Vincent Ventura—secured the gold medal in the men’s taolu event at the 2023 International Wushu Federation (IWUF) World Wushu Championships held in Fort Worth, Texas on Nov. 20.
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The trio’s seamless and precise execution of techniques earned them a score of 9.616 points in the duilian competition, outshining their counterparts from Brunei (9.613 points) and Spain (9.433 points).
Their win is Wushu Federation Philippines’ (WFP) 20th gold medal in world championships, marking the organization’s first non-individual gold medal on the global stage.
In separate Facebook posts, gold medalists Ventura and Polo extended their congratulations to the team and expressed their honor for the entire country, concluding with the phrase, “Para sa bayan.”
More wushu medals from the Philippines
The victory followed Agatha Wong’s silver finish in the women’s taijiquan event just a day prior.
In other events, Jennifer Kilapio, Clemente Tabugara Jr., and Arnel Mandal settled for silver in their respective sanda events.
Meanwhile, Russel Diaz took home bronze after a challenging semifinal match against China’s Yang Zingmen, ending in a 2-0 defeat in the 48 kg category.
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In the overall medal tally, Filipino athletes brought home one gold, four silver, and one bronze, placing them in seventh among the 72 participating nations.
On Instagram, the Philippine Sports Commission posted their feat and congratulated the team with a caption, “We’re eager for more medals that you can bring home from your next bouts!”
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