BEIJING — Finally, a gold for the Philippines in the Olympics—but it does not really count.

Reigning world champion Willy Wang swept taolu’s two-discipline competition Friday night to capture the gold medal for the Philippines at the Beijing Olympics wushu competition at the Olympic Sports Center here.

The 21-year-old Wang’s victory touched off celebrations among the remaining members of the national delegation here, some nine hours after the country’s last remaining medal hope in a regular Olympic event, Mary Antoinette Rivero, lost to a Croatian fighter in women’s taekwondo’s -67 kg class and bowed out of the Games.

First time flag is raised

“We are so proud to have Willy around to give us a gold in Beijing,” said a jubilant Julian Camacho, the president of the national wushu federation. “This is the first time the Philippine flag was raised and our national anthem played at this Olympics.”

Wang topped the second taolu event, nanqun (stick fighting form), by the slimmest of margins over Chinese Taipei’s Peng Wei-chua with 9.70 points to post a competition-best 19.44 total. The Filipino also ruled the nanquan (bare hands) event Thursday with 9.72 points.

Wushu—unlike such sports as athletics, taekwondo and swimming—is not recognized as a regular Summer Games event by the International Olympic Committee. Medals won in wushu events do not count toward a country’s Olympic medal total.

Peng won the bronze with a two-discipline aggregate of 19.39 points, highlighted by a fine 9.69 score in the nanqun where Wang nipped him by a mere 0.01 point.

Bronze medals, too

Malaysia’s Pui Fook Chien took the bronze in the 13-country competition with 19.34.

Three other Filipino entries beat their respective opponents in the sanshou (fighting) competition and assured themselves of a bronze medal each.

But, they too, don’t count.

Mary Jane Estima bested her Italian foe in the 52 kg class and Benjie Rivera upended his Egyptian rival in the 65 kg category to join Marian Mariano in the semifinals.

Mariano overpowered Sweden’s Shiellen Ottus, 4-0 and 5-0, Thursday to reach the final four in the 60 kg class.

The 13 entries in taolu advanced from wushu’s Beijing Games qualifier, the Good Luck Beijing World Championship held here in November last year.

Wang, the son of a Binondo businesswoman and a mainlander Chinese, trained in the Chinese capital for one year before the competition. He was still undergoing dope testing at press time Friday night at the tournament venue.

Mike Arroyo cheers him on

Among those who cheered for Wang were First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez, Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco, Olympic chief of mission and Bacolod City Rep. Monico Puentevella, and staff of the country’s embassy here.

The competition is a special event of the 29th Olympiad and ends on Aug. 24.