Indian wushu player Aparna Dahiya clinched a gold medal in the women’s 52kg category at the 11th Sanda World Cup in Macau yesterday. Aparna beat reigning world champion Thi Phuong Nga Ngo of Vietnam in straight sets in the final.
This was India’s first gold in the event which began on May 12. Aparna had earlier lost to the same opponent in the final of the World Wushu Championships held in September 2025 in Brazil.
Competitive wushu is split into two main branches, Taolu and Sanda.
Taolu is a combination of gymnastics and martial arts, and competitors are judged and given points on their movements which include stances, kicks, punches, balances, jumps, sweeps and throws.
Sanda is a modern unarmed combat sport that developed from traditional wushu techniques and primarily makes use of punching, kicking, throwing, wrestling and defensive techniques.
