JAKARTA, Indonesia – Before Agatha Wong secured the Philippines’ third bronze medal in the 2018 Asian Games, she sustained injuries that could’ve changed the course of her winning performance. 

“So I have a slipped disc, grade 2, and then I have patellar tendonitis sa right knee,” said Wong. 

Although she has yet to fully heal, the 20-year-old – dressed in her usal purple and white – still managed to deliver a 19.36-point performance in the combined women’s taijiquan and taijijian all-around event. 

“It’s the highlight of my 2018 because a lot has happened to me and qualifying for the Asian Games  is already a success on its own.” 

It took 12 years for Wong to finally find her place in the international front of wushu, but it was all thanks to her parents who just pushed her to get out of the house and play sports. 

“I’ve been doing wushu for 12 years since I was 8 years old, while doing karate and swimming, then ballet, then I had piano lessons because my family is very active in sports,” recalled Wong.

“They wanted my siblings and I to always be active, ayaw nila laging sa bahay, nanonood ng TV (they don’t want us to be always at home watching TV).” 

While the Asiad adds to her growing list of incredible feats, the College of St. Benilde graduate will never forget her career breakthrough moment – her gold-and-silver romp in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games gold.

Wong captured the gold in the taijiquan event, but fell short of the top spot in the tianjijian category as Indonesia wushu star Lindswell bagged the gold.

Lindswell took the top honors of the women’s taijiquan and taijijian all-around event in the 2018 Asian Games.

But a bronze was certainly more than enough for the debutant. – Rappler.com