Asian Games 2023: Disappointing 5th & 6th finish for India in men’s changquan wushu event

Hangzhou, Sep 24: Asian Games 2023 started with a grand opening ceremony on Saturday (September 23). India began their medal campaign on Sunday (September 24) in the 19th edition of the continental showpiece.

With plenty of medal prospects on play today, a whole lot of eyes were on the Indian wushu players Suraj Singh Mayanglambam and Anjul Namedo. However, Mayanglambam and Namedo finished a disappointing fifth and sixth respectively in the men's changquan event at the Asian Games, here on Sunday.

While Suraj finished fifth with a total score of 9.730, Anjul ended a rung below with 9.710 points. China's Peiyuan Sun won the gold medal with a combined score of 9.840, while the silver and bronze were bagged by Edgar Xavier Marvelo of Indonesia and Macau's Chi Kuan Song, with scores of 9.786 and 9.760 respectively at the Xiaoshan Gauli Sports Centre.
Changquan is a bare-handed martial arts event where an athlete is judged on his moves and techniques.

Earlier, three Indian Wushu players from Arunachal were reportedly denied entry to China to compete in the 19th edition of the Asian Games. The three athletes Lamgu were forced to stay back in the country.

However, the chairman of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Ethics Committee, Wei Jizhong claimed that China did not refuse the entry and athletes themselves did not accept the visas.

Wei Jizhong said, "These Indian athletes have already got the visa to enter China. China didn't refuse any visas. Unfortunately, these athletes didn't accept this visa. I don't think this is an OCA problem because China has an agreement to let all the athletes who have certified eligibility to come to compete in China. This is clear. The visa has already been granted,"

(With inputs from PTI)