Agatha Wong, the wushu double-gold medalist for the Philippines in the recent 30th Southeast Asian Games, is a real head turner, not just because of her winning ways, but with her beauty and golden performances in her events.
Her natural grace, composure and focus every time she goes through her routine, coupled with her beautiful face, have made her an instant hit in the biennial meet, which the Philippines hosted recently.
The 21-year-old Wong who is now being hailed as the face of Philippine wushu, definitely gained a lot more fans and admirers, who want to see more of her in action.
Looking back at her performance in the 30th SEA Games, Wong said: “The biggest challenge for me was the physical part of it as I had a slipped disc in 2018 that even just the conditioning part was hard for me. What carried me through in the competition was discipline, it just takes over during the competition, all the long hours, days and years spent in training comes to fore. Balancing my time between studies and training is one big challenge, too.”
A new experience for her though was the fact that for the first time, she cried in a competition,
“I have never cried before, but when (Philippine Sports Commission) Chairman Butch Ramirez was awarding me my medal and I realized that I have done it for God and for my country, that was when I broke down,” Wong said.
What makes her happier after the competition, aside from her cash windfall from the PSC, the Philippine Olympic Committee, Malacanang, the House of Representatives and others who are expected to show their appreciation for her double-gold feat, is the fact that wushu is now more popular in the country.
“I know now that more people know what our sport is all about, and I hope the sport will grow even more after this SEA Games,” said Wong.
Unfortunately, Wong, who also won a gold in the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEAG, is still unsure of her participation in the next SEA Games in Hanoi.
After finishing her college degree at the College of St. Benilde this year, Wong plans to take up law as her second course, making it even more difficult for her balancing her time.
It’s good though that next year, Wong will be seeing action in several major international competitions, including the World Cup in Tokyo, Japan, and the Asian Championship in India.
If she performs well in these two international tournaments, maybe she will change her mind to join the Vietnam SEA Games.