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TUESDAY | DEC 16, 2025

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Cheong Min closes wushu campaign in style

in advance, including undergoing a three-month training camp in China starting in March. “I am very happy with my own and the team’s achievements. “My preparations started early not only for the

THE national wushu squad closed the 2025 SEA Games campaign with fly ing colours when it won two gold medals on the final day of the event at Chaeng Watthana Government Complex, in Bangkok yesterday. National wushu queen, Tan Cheong Min, contributed both golds through the combined event of three disciplines of nanqua n, nandao and nangun as well as the women’s duilian (armed) team event. In the individual event, the Melaka-born athlete collected 29,263 points overall, with 9,743 points in nanquan and 9,760 points each for nandao and nangun to clinch the gold. The silver medal was won by Vietnamese athlete, Dang Tran Phuong Nhi with 28,112 points, while the bronze went to Singaporean rep resentative, Kassandra Ong Xue Ling who collected 28,579 points. Cheong Min then teamed up with Loh Ying Ting and Pang Pui Yee to win the country’s second gold in the women’s team duilian event with a total of 9,730 points. She said the success was the result of thorough preparations carried out

SEA Games, but also several other major tourna ments through out the year,” she said when met.

Cheong Min is also confident that the suc cess can be a catalyst for the national wushu squad’s performance ahead of the 2027 SEA Games when Malaysia will host. Last Saturday, the female trio of Lo Ying Ting, Mandy Cebelle Chen and Sydney Chin Sy Xuan contributed the first gold of the wushu camp when they won the gold in the duilian event (without weapons). The wushu camp closed the cam paign by collecting three gold, one sil ver and four bronze in total. – Bernama

National wushu athlete Tan Cheong Min in action in the women’s individual nandao final at the 2025 SEA Games at Ratthaprasasanphakdi Building yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

City serve

notice

Guardiola hails ‘big statement’ win to keep up

on City to respond. Guardiola’s men were up to the task, over coming a spluttering display in large part because of the quality of their finishing. He added: “Erling is a forward to score the goals but in the second half he keeps the ball. He was able to contain situations. He helped us be together. In the second half he was outstand ing.” Guardiola conceded City are still a work in progress following his expensive overhaul of the squad since last season. But he took heart from their willingness to fight for the win over Palace – a vital char acteristic they lacked throughout last season. “Many things we have to improve. Madrid gave me a lot of things, that still we are not ready, not in mentality but in how to approach certain games. They are young some of the players. But 3-0 here is a big statement for us,” he said. “When you win in the past, you believe the past was perfect, always brilliant, always the red carpet. When we won with 100 points, all the things we achieved, we had a lot of games like today. The resilience was part of that. “There are moments that you struggle. Madrid was not the perfect game, but it was a step. We fought unbelievably to achieve that. with Arsenal at top of table

P EP GUARDIOLA claimed Manchester City had made a “big statement” in the Premier League title race with their 3-0 win against Crystal Palace yesterday. Guardiola’s side struggled to impose them selves for long spells at Selhurst Park but Erling Haaland’s header late in the first half finally broke the deadlock. After riding their luck thanks to several missed Palace chances before and after Haaland’s opener, City showed a ruthless streak to kill off the Eagles. Phil Foden drilled home from the edge of the area before Haaland added a late third from the penalty spot. Second-placed City have now won four in a row in the League and sit just two points behind leaders Arsenal as the title race heats up. Guardiola was especially impressed with the way City dug deep to subdue tenacious Palace just days after their draining 2-1 win at Real Madrid in the Champions League. “Always when you approach the game, who ever the opponent, on your terms, good things are going to happen. There’s no sense to playing football without being who you are as an indi vidual,” Guardiola said. “Still we are not at the top, but we are learning. We will be closer in the future. After playing in the Bernabeu, then we prepared to play the FA Cup winners.” It was a sweet victory for Guardiola after he was out-witted by Palace

boss Oliver Glasner in last season’s shock FA Cup final defeat at Wembley. Palace have been a thorn in the side of champions Liverpool, beating them three times this season, and Guardiola acknowledged the threat posed by the south Londoners.

“It’s behind a lot of work. Palace are so strong. Every time we play them it’s so difficult,” he said. “It is a really tough place to come,” Guardiola added. “When you lose the ball, they attack incredibly well but we were patient. “We were lucky when they

hit the post from (Adam) Wharton but really

pleased for the per formance and vic tory to grow our mentality.” Haaland bagged his

23rd goal this

season to complete Man City’s fifth succes sive win in all competi

City’s Erling Haaland (right) battles Palace’s Maxence Lacroix during yesterday’s Premier League match at Selhurst Park. –AFPPIC

“We are in a better position than last season. We are close in the com petitions we are in,” Guardiola added. – AFP

tions. Arsenal’s dramatic late win over bottom of the table Wolves on Saturday had put pressure

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