Secretary General of the Indonesian Wushu Association (PBWI) Ngatino stated that the association is targeting the Indonesian wushu team to bag at least four gold medals at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia.

“Four (gold medals) is a realistic target. We are optimistic about all events,” Ngatino noted here on Friday.

According to the secretary general, all athletes should be mentally ready to secure gold medals.

He noted that the Indonesian wushu team athletes that will partake in this year’s SEA Games –which will be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on May 5-17 — are young athletes, who had earlier competed in national- and international-level events.

Despite Indonesia’s junior wushu team being ranked third in the World Junior Wushu Championship (WJWC) 2022, he assessed that the senior team is ready to compete in two upcoming multi-sport events this year: SEA Games and Asian Games in Hangzhou.

“We have many seeds (younger athletes), but they have not been promoted (to the next level),” he remarked.

He stated that in order to improve the skills of the Indonesian wushu team, the athletes would be sent to China to join a special training camp.

“There will be a training camp in China, and we will manage it (by considering) the condition in China. Like it or not, the center (of wushu) is in China. We have prepared it,” Ngatino remarked.

Earlier, the Indonesian wushu team had succeeded in achieving the target of three gold medals at the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam and finished as the runner-up in terms of medals achievement.

The team clinched three gold medals, nine silver medals, and three bronze medals. Meanwhile, the host, Vietnam, finished as the all-around champion for wushu, with 10 gold medals, three silver medals, and seven bronze medals.

Source: Antara News