Cheong Min Sharpening Her Routines To Maintain Dominance

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 (Bernama) -- National wushu queen Tan Cheong Min is focusing on increasing the difficulty level and refining routine combinations to maintain her dominance on the international stage.

The two-time world champion is unwilling to rest on her past achievements and said minor changes in wushu regulations -- expected to take effect this year -- have driven her to prioritise the degree of difficulty and maturity in her performances.

"My main focus now is to increase the difficulty level and ensure more polished routine combinations. The new rules this year might introduce slight adjustments in difficulty level and combinations, so I am fully concentrating on these aspects.

"Actually, my previous difficulty level was still sufficient, but with some modifications in combinations, I am now making certain adjustments to my routine," she told Bernama.

The 26-year-old athlete emphasised that stability is the key to executing her new routine with precision.

"This change is not a big challenge for me because I have trained with these new combinations before, just not in competitions. Now, I need to ensure my stability is at 100 per cent," said the 2019/2020 National Sportswoman.

Cheong Min, who won gold in the nangun event at the 2024 Taolu World Cup in Yokohama, Japan, last October, noted that there has been a slight modification in landing techniques, allowing athletes to combine two difficulty elements simultaneously.

"The landing technique hasn’t changed much, but there’s a slight addition. We are now allowed to integrate two difficulty elements, so this is something I need to adapt to," she added.

Among the tournaments Cheong Min is almost certain to compete in this year are the Taolu Asian Cup in Jilin, China, this July and the World Games in Chengdu, China, in August, as she has already qualified.

Her participation in the World Wushu Championships in Brazil this September and the SEA Games in Thailand this December will depend on the selection process to be held later.

Cheong Min first claimed the world title in 2017 in duilian at Kazan, Russia, before securing her second title in nandao at the 2019 edition in Shanghai, China.

She continued to build her international success, clinching double gold at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, a silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, and a gold medal at the 2024 Asian Wushu Championships in Macau last September.

-- BERNAMA