Faustina Woo Wai Shii (R)
spars with Lee Ying Shi
during an earlier training
session. Woo is recovering
from a knee injury and is
working her way back to
full strength in
preparations for December's
SEA Games. Picture: BT file
National wushu exponent sets sights on SEA Games
Faustina Woo Wai Sii is on the road to recovery.
The national wushu exponent picked up a right knee injury at the beginning of April and is working her way back to full strength.
The 21-year-old has been undergoing rehabilitation at the Sports Medicine and Research Centre of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas over the past few months.
She is back to training and hopes to be ready for the main event Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Myanmar in December.
"It is a lot better now and it doesn't hurt anymore. For the past few months I have been going to SMRC three times a week to work on it," said Woo in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.
"Coach (Li Hui) told me that even though I'm injured I cannot just sit home and rest. I will need to work on recovery and get back to full strength.
"I'm doing lighter work at training which require no jumps for the time being. There should be no problems getting ready for the SEA Games," she said.
"I'll have to work really hard and be ready especially on the techniques and moves required at least one month before the Games," continued Woo.
Wushu is one of the sports that can potentially deliver gold for Brunei at the SEA Games.
For two consecutive editions, Woo teamed up with Lee Ying Shi to finish with the silver in the duilian (duo sparring with broadsword and spear) event.
They managed their best achievement to date just last year after they struck gold in the duilian event at the 8th Asian Wushu Championships in Vietnam in August.
The pair finished the event with 9.59 points, narrowly defeating Hong Kong which had 9.58 points at the Phu Tho Indoor Sports Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City.
Next on the calendar for the sport is the 7th Asian Junior Wushu Championships in Manila next week.
Brothers Md Sufi Shayiran, Md Adi Sya'rani, Md Adi Salihin and Md Safiee Shayferan Roslan, together with the trio of Ang Guat Lian, Nur Batrisyia Ripin and Dk Nur Wardinna Pg Hj Aji, will be flying the flag for the Sultanate at the August 8-11 competition.
They returned with one gold medal in the previous edition in Shanghai, China, two years ago after the duo of Lee and Karyn Ho Chia Yin claimed gold in the duilian event.
According to an earlier report besides Brunei and hosts the Philippines Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Vietnam are also taking part from the Southeast Asia region.
The other countries in the tournament are Afghanistan, China, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Macau, Nepal and Uzbekistan.
