Champion hopes wushu becomes part of Olympic program

MANILA, Philippines – Olympic special-events winner Willy Wang is hoping that wushu becomes a medal event in the regular program for the Summer Games. Wang, who arrived Monday night, competed in wushu in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the combined events of men’s nanquan and nangun (bare fists). Wang said he is hoping that by the 2016 Olympics, wushu will be a regular medal event in the Olympics. London will host the 2012 Olympics while the International Olympic Committee has yet to award the hosting rites for the 2016 Summer Games. Wang said he was “happy with his gold medal" despite wushu not being a part of the 28 regular Olympic sports program. Wang, however, said he would no longer compete and would start a business. The four-member Philippine wushu team went home with four medals. Mary Jane Estimar earned the silver in the 52-kg class of the women’s sanshou (combat) event while Benjie Rivera (men’s 60kg sanshou) and Marian Mariano (women’s 56kg sanshou) took the bronze in their respective categories. Wang’s gold is reminiscent of the similar medal won by Arianne Cerdeña in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Cerdeña’s triumph in bowling did not count because it was an exhibition sport. – GMANews.TV