Shillong, October 15: Manipur will go into the final day of the Assam Rifles 26th Senior National Wushu Championship in pole position in the points standings, having earned another 4 gold medals and 3 silver in taolu (form) events on the penultimate day here on Saturday.
Teams receive 5 points for a gold medal, 3 for silver and 1 for bronze. As of 5:00pm Manipur had 70 points to Services Sports Control Board’s (SSCB) 60. Madhya Pradesh are third with 29 points.
Manipur’s gold medals were won in the women’s division by A Sanatombi Chanu (nandou), L Sanatombi Chanu (taijijian), Y Sapna Devi (quiangshu) and Ng A Toshibala (gunshu).
SSCB also picked up another 4 gold medals, but theirs were all earned by men – Sajan Lama (nandou), M Gayandas Singh (taijijian), Anjul Namdeo (quiangshu) and Chirag Sharma (gunshu).
No other team took gold today, but the Tamil Nadu contingent were thrilled with Noorul Hukm’s bronze in men’s gunshu, which was the first medal of the competition for the state.
Assam, meanwhile, earned their third bronze medal, which was won by Sanma Brahma in men’s taijijian.
Meanwhile, the men’s and women’s semifinals in the sanshou (sparring) events were also held on Saturday. Vying for spots in the finals, the fighters put their level best into the bouts, many of which were bruising encounters.
Assam and Manipur are the only North East states with chances for gold in the sanshou. Maharashtra’s contingent, meanwhile, were elated when their men’s above 90kg fighter Javed Mulla came through a tough fight against Punjab’s Balvinder Singh to reach the final.
The finals will also feature wushu star Pooja Kadian of the All India Police Sports Control Board (AIPSCB), who defeated Manali Rathi (Uttarakhand) in the women’s below 75kg semi.
Points standings as, Manipur – 78, Services Sports Control Board – 60, Madhya Pradesh – 29,Central Reserve Police Force – 12, Punjab – 10.
