CHENNAI: Even as the national camp is underway at Shilaroo, Himachal Pradesh in preparation for the 14th World Wushu Championships to be held in Kazan, Russia from September 27 to October 3, some of the campers made India proud by finishing with 6 medals at the BRICS Games that concluded in Guangzhou (China), on Monday.
The haul included two gold, two silver and two bronze. M Gyandas won gold in the Taijiquan/Taijijian event, while Anjul Namdev bagged the yellow metal in changquan overall event. The two silvers were claimed by M Bidheswari Devi (women’s Taijiquan/Taijijian) and Ng Toshibala (women’s changquan), while bronze went to L Sanatgombhi Chanu (women’s Taijiquan/Taijijian) and Sajan Lama (nanquan allround).
What was most heartening was the tough competition that Indians gave to two of the sports big guns, China and Russia. “The federation had told us that there would be only five teams, but that didn’t mean that we could take it lightly, as there were teams like China and Russia, two of the best exponents of world wushu. Since it was a short competition, there was no margin for error. “And that’s what makes this gold more satisfying. I was able to beat some of the best. It’s never easy when it’s a short meet with less teams, and the level of competition was high. So that was a good feeling,” Anjul told Express from Guangzhou on Tuesday.
The team is set to fly back to New Delhi on Tuesday night, and from the capital they will proceed to Shilaroo and join the camp. And Anjul is excited to get back and start preparations for the Worlds. “The gold is a big boost for me, and other medal winners are confident as well. At the last Worlds in Indonesia, we missed out on gold. We clinched three silver medals. The aim this time is to correct that. It’ll be my third World Championships, after 2013 (Malaysia) and Indonesia, and I’m keen on doing something special for my country,” the Indian Air Force Airman said.
An exposure trip to China is being planned in July, and the 24-year-old is hopeful of the plan materialising. “China are the team to beat in wushu, and in fact, the world champion in my event is a Chinese (Sun Pei Yuan). So it’ll be good if we can go there and do some training. And if I get to spar with Yuan, it’ll help me to face him when the Worlds comes around.”
raviiyer@newindianexpress.com