By Jeremiah Ong
Early starter Zeanne Law hit the ground running on her Asiad debut as she surged to joint-second in the standings in the morning session of the women’s taijiquan and taijijian all-round combined event at the Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre on Sunday (Sep 24) afternoon.
The 17-year-old put on an assured display belying her age and went into the lunch break sitting amongst the top of the rankings, after she registered a score of 9.746.
Team Singapore’s youngest wushu exponent in Hangzhou, Law’s score was matched by Hong Kong’s Chen Sujin and only bettered by home favourite and eventual gold medallist, Tong Xin.
Unfortunately, she slumped to ninth place after a 9.553 score in the afternoon’s taijijian event.
Law performing her taijijian routine in the afternoon session, scoring 9.553. (Photo: SNOC/ Eng Chin An)
Of her performance, the SEA Games duilian bronze medallist said: “Even though there was a deduction for my second routine, I think I performed quite well in terms of my movements.”
“I just trusted my instinct and had a disciplined mindset in my head, so I could recall all the movements that I've learnt and showcase it on this stage.”
Watching in the stands as she performed sharp and controlled movements on the carpet were her mother and aunt.
Her teammate, Vera Tan, also enjoyed support in the stands from her family, with her father flying out to Hangzhou at the very last minute.
Tan performing her taijiquan routine in the morning session where she placed eighth. (Photo: SNOC/ Eng Chin An)
Tan registered 9.703 in the taijiquan and 9.620 in the taijijian for a combined total of 19.323, putting her 8th in the overall standings.
“I am happy and satisfied with my performance just that my second event didn't go as well as expected but overall I enjoyed doing the entire routine,” she said.
“During the previous Asian Games I was even more nervous but today I told myself to enjoy the entire routine and I actually remember every moment on the carpet.”
The 2015 SEA Games taijiquan gold medallist finished 5th in the previous Asiad with a score of 19.33.
Tan performing her taijijian routine, finishing eighth with a combined score of 19.33 (Photo: SNOC/ Eng Chin An)
As the oldest and most experienced exponent in her team with five SEA Games under her belt, Tan was proud of Law’s debut performance.
“Most of them are debutants and I'm sure they are already very nervous so I guess my role is to remind them to enjoy themselves and not be so nervous for the competition,” Tan added.
Regardless of the result, Tan was adamant to continue enjoying the process, having turned into a full-time athlete upon graduation.
“The biggest takeaway I want to have is to just enjoy the process. Because even though I did make a mistake, I had no regrets because I was really absorbed in my own routine.”
The pair are now looking ahead to the world championships held in Texas in November.
The 19th Asian Games are held in Hangzhou, China from 23 September to 8 October 2023. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.