Five debutants and one veteran: China's taolu wushu team kicks off at Asian Games in Nagoya
The path to mastery in martial arts is measured not in days but in years. Behind every polished movement lie thousands of repetitions, and behind a debut at major competitions lie decades of hard work. Wushu teaches patience and perfection, and these principles are especially evident at the Asian Games.
On Sunday, the first full day of competition at the 20th Asian Games, China's six-member taolu wushu team began its performance, with five athletes making their debut in the sport. Wushu at the Games is divided into taolu, which includes choreographed martial arts routines, and sanda, a full-contact fighting discipline. Taolu competitions will be held from Sunday to Wednesday, September 20–23, at the Aichi Prefecture Martial Arts Hall in Nagoya, Japan.
The team held two familiarisation training sessions at the venue and will take part in six of the eight taolu medal events, skipping the men's and women's changquan (long fist) competitions. The six athletes range in age from 25 to 35. Tong Xin is the only team member with Asian Games experience. "Besides Tong Xin, who competed at the Hangzhou Asian Games, the other five athletes are making their Asian Games debut. They are leading athletes from their provincial teams and experienced participants in major competitions, including world championships and World Cups," said Li Qiang, head coach of China's taolu wushu team.
Although the Asian Games will be new for most team members, their competitive routines are not. The athletes have been honing them for more than three years, and in some cases for a full decade. "There is a saying in wushu: 'Practice the form a thousand times, and the technique will come by itself.' After polishing a movement day after day, year after year, our understanding of it and our feeling for it change. Another saying is 'strive for perfection.' That is why we spend 10 years working on a single movement," said Li Jianming, a team member.
As reported by CCTV+, China's taolu wushu team has begun its performance at the Asian Games in Nagoya, where five of the six athletes are making their Games debut. Despite lacking Asian Games experience, they are all seasoned masters ready to demonstrate the highest level of skill.
