SANDREX Gainsan joined a growing list of Filipino world champions as he captured the gold in qiangshu (spear play) event of the 8th World Junior Wushu Championships held recently in Tangerang, Indonesia.
Mr. Gainsan, who won the gold in the Asian Junior Championships in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei three years ago, bested Singapore’s Shaoyang Ian Sim and Malaysia’s Waipeng Hew to claim the mint.
The Quezon City-based Taolu artist thus joined the country’s elite group of world-beaters this year like weightlifting Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, karate’s Junna Tsukii and jiu-jitsu’s Meggie Ochoa and Kimberly Anne Custodio among others.
Vincent Ventura and Zion Diaraliay pocketed a bronze each in nandao (southern broadsword) and 42-step taijiquan to compete the six-strong Philippine team’s strong showing.
Baguio-based Krisna Malecdan (56 kgs) and Rhomlaiza Dagson (48kgs) and Davao City’s Geoff Basto Bustamante (56 kgs) failed to advance to the medal phases in the sanda event.
“(Mr.) Gainsan’s mint was the country’s fifth in seven junior worlds engagements, a strong indication of the strength of the our junior development program,” said Wushu Federation of the Philippines President Freddie Jalasco. — Joey Villar