Wushu whizz blends elegance and strength
Wushu champion Ng Siu-ching (above) has been studying the ancient martial art for 25 years, ever since she was in kindergarten.
Having a father who is a wushu master helped spark her interest. Wushu originated in China and is considered the parent of other martial arts.
Siu-ching returned in November from Rome where she represented Hong Kong in the Fourth World Wushu Championships at which she won two gold medals and a silver.
In May she also won gold, in the East Asian Games held in Korea. At 29 years old, Siu-ching is a veteran of this sort of competition. She has also participated in the Asian Games.
But being an athlete is not her full-time profession. Siu-ching works part-time as an anchor for cable television's Sports Channel as well as hosting a radio programme on RTHK's Putonghua station.
When she is preparing for a competition, Siu-ching practises for six hours a day. She normally practises for three hours.
Combining the elegance of dance with sheer athleticism, wushu's most important elements, according to Siu-ching, are concentration, endurance and strength.
'My dream is for wushu to become part of the Olympics,' Siu-ching says. 'It has value in modern sports as it trains the body to be stronger and it is a test of endurance.'
