PH’s Wally, Mandal bag world wushu golds

Action movie star Jet Li delivers a speech during the opening of the 13th World Wushu Championships in Jakarta on November 13, 2015. Indonesia hosts the 13th World Wushu Championship from 14 – 18 November. AFP PHOTO / ADEK BERRY / AFP / ADEK BERRY

Filipino fighters Divine Wally and Arnel Mandal proved their mettle in the international arena by seizing gold medals in the 13th World Wushu Championships in Jakarta.

The 19-year-old Wally, pride of Baguio City, trounced Vietnamese Luan Thi Hoang in the 48 kg final while Mandal, a 20-year-old prized find from Iloilo City, stunned Indian Uchit Sharma in the 52 kg title duel.

Showing no fear against her more experienced rivals, Wally improved on her silver-medal finishes in both the 7th Asian Junior Championships and 27th Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar in 2013.

Manda proved to be the surprise package for the Filipinos. His only claim to fame was a gold in last year’s Philippine National Games.

The twin golds boosted Team Philippines’ harvest that included two silvers and a bronze—the country’s best output since 1991, when the World Wushu Championship was first held.

Drawing first blood for the Philippines was Agatha Khrystenzen Wong of Quezon City who won the silver in the compulsory taijiquan.

Francisco Solis, last year’s Asian Games bronze medalist and 2015 SEA Games silver medalist, settled for the bronze. He bowed to reigning Asian Games 65 kg champion Chinese Hong Xingkong.

The Philippines, which surpassed its 1-2-3 medal harvest in the 2013 world championships, wound up tied with Macao for 8th to 9th places.

China topped the medal table with 14 golds followed by host Indonesia with seven and Iran six in the field of 76 countries represented by 904 athletes.

The lean Team Philippine delegation was headed by Julian Camacho, WFP secretary general and Philippine Olympic Committee treasurer.