Taiwanese Opera performer wins gold in World Games Wushu event
Central News Agency
2009-07-25 04:00 PM
Kaohsiung, July 24 (CNA) Peng Wei-chua, the 2005 World Wushu champion and a prominent performer of Taiwanese Opera, thrilled the home crowd by winning a gold medal in the World Games in Kaohsiung Friday.
Peng works for the popular Taiwanese opera troupe the Ming Hua Yuan Arts and Cultural Group (MHY) as a leading actor and became its action director 18 months ago.
Holding a master's degree from Taipei Physical Education College, Peng was also a silver medalist in the Wushu competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games, where it was a demonstration event.
On Friday, crowds of people packed Kaohsiung County Stadium to watch Peng perform in the men's Nanquan (southern fist) round of the Taolu Nanquan and Nangun (southern staff) category, and they were not disappointed.
Peng's routine wowed the judges for its many difficult mid-air movements -- clinching the gold medal -- and won warm applause from the crowd.
His coach Chang Shih-po said he was not surprised to see Peng bring home a gold because he knows Peng is a true Wushu master.
The coach said, however, that he was disappointed that China did not enter a competitor in the event because he had looked forward to seeing Peng compete with a Chinese athlete.
Iran's Farshad Arabi won silver in the event with a 19.51, and Malaysia's Ho Mun Hua scored 19.25 to grab bronze.
In the other division of Wushu, the Sanshou, which involves barehanded physical combat, China's E Meidie beat Vietnamese competitor Nguyen Thuy Ngan in the woman's under 52kg class to win gold, while Mary Jane Estimar of the Philippines took bronze.
In the women's under 60kg category, Iran's Zahara Karimi Vardanjani had already clinched gold Thursday after winning her two bouts in the three-women competition. On Friday, Mariane Mariano of the Philippines beat Chinese Taipei's Kao Yu-chuan to win the silver. In the men's under 56kg. division, China's Duan Hansong defeated his only competitor, Russia's Sait Khayrulaev, to win gold.
Russia's Murad Akhadov secured the gold medal in the under 70kg weight class after knocking down South Korea's Kim Deuk Su. Chinese Taipei's Chou Ting-yuan won silver by virtue of his victory over Kim Thursday, while Kim took bronze.
Meanwhile, Iran's Hamidreza Gholipour defeated his only competitor, Russia's Muslim Salikov, in the under 85kg division to win gold.
The two-day Wushu event, one of five invitational events at the 2009 World Games, ended with China the big winner with eight golds, followed by Russia (two gold, two silver and one bronze), Iran (two gold, one silver and one bronze), and Chinese Taipei (one gold, three silver and one bronze).
Because Wushu is an invitational event, the medals do not count in the official medal standings.