Praveen Kumar wins gold at Wushu World Championships
Praveen Kumar became the first Indian man to win a Wushu World Championships gold medal as he got the better of Russel Diaz 2-1 in the men's Sanda event. Poonam and Y Sanathoi Devi managed to win silver medals while Vikrant Baliyan won the bronze at the 15th World Wushu Championships in Shanghai.
After beating Uzbekistan's Khasan Ikromov 2-0 in the semi-final on Tuesday, Praveen Kumar performed exceedingly well in the final against Russel Diaz. He became the first Indian man to win the gold medal as he managed to win the final against the Filipino by a margin of 2-1 in the men’s Sanda event.
What a proud moment for India! Congratulations Praveen Kumar for becoming India's first-ever Men's World Champion in #Wushu by securing Gold Medal in the 48kg category at the #WushuWorldChampionships in Shanghai. pic.twitter.com/mIhlYYF7rz
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) October 23, 2019
Pooja Kadian was the first-ever Indian to win the World Championships back in 2017. Kadian had won the final game by defeating Evgeniya Stepanova of Russia in the women's 75 kg Sanda event. Wushu Sanda is a martial art that combines full-contact kickboxing, including close-range punches and kicks, with wrestling, takedowns, throws, sweeps and kick catches.
Poonam and Y Sanathoi Devi also had a good run in the World Championships until the final. Both of them ended up with silver medals while Vikrant Baliyan bagged the bronze medal in the men’s event at the global event. India finished third in the championship in the Sanda event with one gold, two silver, and one bronze medals while Iran and China remained at the first and second positions respectively.
Another proud moment for India! Miss #SanathoiDeviYunman wins silver in the Women's 52KG Wushu category at the 15th #World Wushu Championships. Hearty Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/jzEtxk8r9G
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) October 23, 2019