Iranian junior wushu artists grab medals in Asia tournament

Iranian wushu practitioners have snatched over a dozen medals, including four gold ones, at the 8th edition of Asian Junior Wushu Championships in China.

On Saturday, Fatemeh Jazini of Iran exhibited impressive performances in the Gunshu form of the Taolu category at the Xilin Gol Sports Center in China’s autonomous northern region of Inner Mongolia, and claimed the first spot with 9.25 points. She was followed by Malaysian and Kazakh wushu competitors.

Gunshu is a form of wushu where the participant uses a staff as the main element of the routine.

Also, Zahra Kiani racked up 9.32 points to grab the silver in the Jianshu form of Taolu competitions, and stood behind a representative from China. The Young Iranian female athlete was trailed by a Malaysian wushu fighter.

Jianshu is a form of Taolu, where the participant uses a sword as the main element of the routine.

Fatemeh Asadi also settled for the bronze medal with 9.29 points in the Nanquan form. A wushu contestant from the host nation was awarded the gold medal, and the silver went to a Vietnamese competitor.

Nanquan usually requires less flexibility and has fewer acrobatics than Changquan, but it also requires greater leg stability and power generation through leg and hip coordination.

The achievement came a day after Shahin Bani-Talebi earned 9.23 points in the Jianshu form and received the gold medal. Wushu artists from Indonesia and Hong Kong accumulated 9.14 and 9.06 points respectively to land in the second and third positions.

Kiani also claimed the gold medal in the Changquan form with 9.35 points. Silver medal went to Lin-Yi Ping from Chinese Taipei with 9.28 points. Malaysian Aggie Cheah Ruey Shin notched 9.16 points to pick up the bronze medal.

Mehdi Mokhtarpour and Taha Badiei also received bronze medals in the Jianshu form. Sogand Golshani (in Gunshu category) and Sepideh Shakerian (in Nanquan category) also garnered silver medals on Friday.

On Thursday, Kiani won Iran’s first gold medal in the Changquan form. Golshani and Shakerian were the other two female wushu practitioners, who earned two silver medals in Daoshu and Nanquan categories. Bani-Talebi also notched up 9.26 points in the Changquan form and received the bronze medal.

The 8th edition of Asian Junior Wushu Championships opened in Inner Mongolia, China, on August 6, and will wrap up on August 9. The sporting event has brought together wushu artists from 24 Asian countries.

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