ASIAN Traditional online wushu champion Agatha Wong has been doing wushu since she was six years old, but she had never encountered a challenge as difficult as the battle against COVID-19.

And like all the other successful athletes tasked to represent the country in major international competions, Wong vows to win this one, too.

“For me, I’m trying hard to stay as physically and mentally fit as possible for the next battle. I do not let the pandemic affect me and my training,” said Wong during the 124th “Usapang Sports on Air” by the Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sports (TOPS) via Zoom last Oct. 14.

“I’m doing my best to keep my body in condition the way it was when I captured two gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games in 2019,” added Wong in the weekly public service program sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and Games and Amusements Board (GAB).

“Right now, I’m trying to make myself stronger. It’s not exactly adding muscle, but more on muscular endurance, which we need in our sport of wushu,” added the 23-year-old daughter of a Filipino-Chinese businessman from Dagupan.

Wong was happy to win a gold medal and help the country finish in fourth overall in the Asian Traditional online wushu competition last month.

“It was actually the first online event for wushu. It was handled by Wushu Malaysian Council and the International Wushu Federation and each country is allowed only six athletes,” added Wong, who also bagged a silver medal in taijiquan in the 2015 World Championships in Jakarta.

A Bachelor of Arts in Consular and Diplomatic Affairs geaduate at the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, Wong admitted they have to make a lot of adjustments for the competition.

“Yun event ko is yung barehands and then yung sword, which is another form aside from the one that I competed in the SEA Games. Itong dalawang forms na ito ay more basic since yung name ng online competition is Asian Traditional. Pag sinabing traditional, we go back to the older forms. Lahat ng nag-compete presented the older forms. Hindi pang-SEA Games or pang-Asian Games level, but world,” explained Wong, also a bronze medalist in the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang.

Wong said she is looking forward to more online wushu competitions.

“This month, we’ll compete in the same forms for a different competition. Last time, they gave us a time limit tapos pwede mo siyang putulin. This time, hindi na siya pwedeng putulin at kailangan tapusin ang form. So ngayon, natatapos ko na ang isang buong form at hindi na putol,” said Wong.

Also in Wong’s calendar next year are the World Cup which was supposed to be held in Japan this year but was postponed; the World Tai-Chi Championships, which was scheduled in Italy, but was also postponed; the Asian Championships in India; and the World Championships in Texas next year.

“We’re just waiting for the announcement of the IWF. Basta kami, we’ll always be ready for the challenges kahit ngayong may pandemic,” concluded Wong.