JAKARTA—Agatha Chrystensen Wong hardly limped or buckled as a recurring tendinitis and a battered right knee failed to stop her from snatching the country’s the third medal—also a bronze—from women’s taijijian and taijiquan all-around competition in the 2018 Asian Games on Monday at the Jakarta International Expo.
Wong, a 20-year-old De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde student, was second in a field of 16 entries in the finals of the combined event, finished fifth with a score 9.68 points in the taijiquan held on Sunday before winding up third with 9.68 in the taijijian on Monday for a total score of 19.36, just enough for her to clinch the bronze for her first medal in her Asian Games debut.
Wong tried to focus amid all the noise of an animated crowd, that included Indonesia President Joko Widodo, who came as early at the start of the event and personally witnessed home bet Lindswell Kwok score a 9.75 and a total of 19.50 points to win the gold medal.
Juanita Uen Ying Mok of Hong Kong grabbed the silver medal with a total of 19.42 points.
“I was so nervous because I placed fifth in the first discipline. I had to make sure of an impressive performance in the second discipline so I can have a chance,” said Wong, who had an impressive stint in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia with her gold in the taijiquan event and another silver in the taijijian event.
Wong’s bronze was the third for the Philippines after two third-place finishes in taekwondo’s team poomsae events. The country, however, was booted out of the top 10 of the medal standings after the continent’s top guns started to make their moves on the second day of action.
China started to runaway from the pack with nine gold medals, with Indonesia matching Japan’s four gold medals at second place and Korea and Chinese Taipei tied at third with three gold medals each.
Six countries broke the gold medal column, while the Philippines’s Southeast Asian rivals Malaysia and Vietnam still fell behind with two and one bronze medals, respectively. Thailand already bagged its first gold in women’s team poomsae.
Performing to the tune of Heal the World, Wong, unmindful of Widodo’s presence, dished out her best performance despite a nagging pain in her foot and a bruised knee that both bothered her landing.
“Nahirapan po talaga ako tumapak dahil sa tendinitis ko, tapos hirap ako mag-bend dahil sa knees ko. But I felt relieved kasi tapos na ako and my hard work paid off,” said Wong, who didn’t expect she will have podium right on her first try in the Asiad.
“I had no expectations. I just wanted to do my best and I think I did my best performance. So I think that’s worth it na din for my sacrifices and my family, who always supports me,” Wong said. “I just always keep a very positive mind-set and that has taken me places already ever since SEA Games and World Championships,” added Wong.
Wong’s bronze medal was the third of such color for the Philippine team here, counting the two others from the men’s and women’s poomsae taekwondo teams.
Hagen Topacio found his touch when it was too late and ended up sixth in shooting’s trap at the Jakabaring Sports City Range in Palembang also on Monday, while the downhillers of cycling were as unfortunate in the technical course in Subang.
Topacio, who had finished for a tie for fifth place with Chinese-Taipei’s Yang Kungpi in the eliminatation with 118 points each, missed the three of his first five shots in the medal round and was the first to bow out in the six-man finals with a score of 18 points out of 25 targets.
India’s Lakshay Sheoran took the silver with 43 points while South Korea’s Ahn Daemyong settled for bronze with 30.
John Derrick Farr and Leah Belgira settled for sixth place in mountain bike cycling’s downhill event in Subang, as the Indonesians exploited a tremendous home-court advantage to sweep the gold medals.
Farr, 22, finished eight seconds slower that gold-medal winner Khoiful Mukhib, who won gold in two minutes and 16.687 seconds.
Belgira, also 22 and an Asian Games first timer like Farr, was 22 seconds off another local bet, Tiara Andini Prastika (2:33.056).
Image credits: Nonie Reyes