Nagoya, Sep 20 (IANS) India’s Suraj Singh Mayanglambam finished 11th in the Men’s Changquan Wushu final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, narrowly missing the podium by just 0.040 points in a closely contested competition.

Competing in a 21-athlete field at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall, Suraj produced a total score of 9.683 points. The Indian wushu exponent earned a perfect 5.00 in Quality of Movement (A-Score) and 2.00 in Degree of Difficulty (C-Score), with no deductions. He received 2.683 in Overall Performance (B-Score).

Macau’s Kuong Chi Hin claimed the top position with 9.723 points, while compatriot Chi Kuan Song finished second with 9.720. The narrow gap at the top also underlined how fine the margins were in the final, with Suraj’s score only 0.040 points adrift of the bronze-medal mark.

Changquan is one of wushu’s most dynamic disciplines, requiring athletes to execute a fast-paced routine of traditional northern Chinese kung fu movements. Performances typically feature explosive punches, deep lunging stances, high kicks, aerial jumps and spins, with athletes having around 90 seconds to complete their routines.

The order of performance in the final was also not determined by seeding or pre-event rankings. Instead, each of the 21 finalists was assigned a starting number through a computer or manual random draw, determining when they would take to the floor.

While Suraj ultimately finished outside the medal positions, his 9.683-point performance kept him within striking distance in an extremely competitive final. His perfect marks in Quality of Movement and Degree of Difficulty, coupled with zero deductions, highlighted the technical quality of his routine, even as his Overall Performance score left him just short of the podium.

Team India has a packed Sunday at the Asian Games, with multiple qualification and medal events lined up.

--IANS

vi/