Agatha Wong, balancing med school and training, surprises self with fifth SEA Games gold

May 12, 2023 Times Europe

The Philippines’ Agatha Wong puts up the number five after winning her fifth Southeast Asian Games gold medal in wushu. June Navarro/INQUIRER

PHNOM PENH—Medical school wasn’t much of a hindrance for Agatha Wong to make it five out of five gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games.

With low expectations, the 24-year-old wushu artist surprised herself with a performance to remember that merited a gold medal in the women’s taijiquan/taijijian on Friday at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.

“Training while studying medicine is really tough. I really didn’t expect to win,” said Wong, a dominant figure in the event since the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia.

The freshman medicine student from the University of the East wound up third in the taijiquan with 9.580 points behind Malaysia’s Sydney Chin (9.640) and Brunei’s Basma Lachkar (9.610) on Wednesday.

“I would had been satisfied even with a bronze,” said Wong, who ruled both events in the 2019 SEA Games in Manila.

Agatha Wong leads the way in the women’s taijijian of wushu’s taolu with 9.68 pts #SEAGames2023 pic.twitter.com/659f2hVTtB

— June Navarro (@junavINQ) May 12, 2023

Wong returned to the floor in the taijijian, the event she ruled for the fourth consecutive time, more composed and calmer on Friday, getting the approval of the judges with 9.683 points for a combined score of 19.263.

Chin settled for the silver medal with 19.196 points following a 9.556 performance in the taijijian and Lachkar took the bronze after a 9.55 output on her second stint on the floor.