A top-caliber athlete competing at the highest level trains with unparalleled intensity and dedication, sometimes to a fault. The sacrifices can be unimaginable to some, but for wushu legend Agatha Wong, who loves winning and studying to an extreme extent, all that she’s been through is worth the grind.
Agatha Wong, 25, is already a five-time SEA Games champion, twice a World Championships silver medalist, and an Asian Games bronze finisher. Her body of work in wushu already deserves high praises and commendation.
Coupled with the fact that she’s only in her mid-20s pursuing a career in medicine, it’s giving ‘legendary.’
WUSHU BEGINNINGS
The 25-year-old national athlete started out young, but she used to be a multi-sport junkie during her younger years.
“I started wushu alongside a bunch of sports. So when I was eight years old, my grandmother was driving by Taft Avenue… and she saw a sports clinic for wushu kids,” Agatha told Martin, Coach Hammer, and Anton durig an episode of “Game On! The Podcast.”
She was enrolled in wushu classes with her brother, though they were both dabbling in other sports as well.
“I was doing karate. I also did ballet. And I also did ice skating,” said Agatha, who eventually fell in love with wushu and focused solely on competing in the sport at 14.
“I was competitively swimming until I was 13 or 14. And then, when I turned 14, I focused solely on wushu. My love for swimming died,” she added.
Needless to say, Agatha found love in wushu and went for all the marbles, and the rest is history.
TOUGH TIMES
Agatha’s relationship with wushu is no way near perfect. She admitted going through an odd patch in college where she had almost felt like leaving the sport, before ultimately finding joy in the process and coming full circle.
“I've had phases in my life where I think I'm done with wushu, especially when I entered college. Kasi in college, there's so many temptations…'yung La Salle and Benilde, 'yung classes are from Monday to Thursday, that's why they call it ‘Happy T’ – happy Thursday. So that's where you drink and party,” she recalled.
“So a lot of my friends would be like, do you want to go to Happy T? Pero I would always tell them… ‘I can't go out because we have class the next day, I have training later at night,’” Wong added, recalling how college life at Benilde added to what seemed like a growing confusion regarding her future in the sport.
Agatha revealed that she reached a point where she had doubts, “I entered a phase where I felt like I was going nowhere in wushu kasi hindi pa ako nakapag-SEA Games. I was competing internationally but not really going in the Top 3 or 5. So I entered a stage in my life where I kept skipping training.”
Ultimately, it was her undying love for the game that brought her back after realizing the significance of wushu to her everyday happiness.
“When I went on to third year (in college), du'n ko na-realize na every time I did wushu, I still enjoyed it,” she said.
‘NO REGRETS’
What started as just a mere acknowledgment of her situation turned into a momentum-shifting decision that got her back on track, “(I realized) it's just that there were so many outside factors that were affecting 'yung passion ko for wushu. So what I did was, I tried not to skip training, and I've never partied naman.”
Asked if she has ever regretted her decision to prioritize school and wushu over everything else, Agatha’s ‘no’ didn’t even buckle.
Her rekindled love for wushu, as simple as the realization process was, served as a crucial epiphany halfway through college.
“I've never experienced Happy T. Right now, looking back, I don't regret it kasi you're always gonna experience partying. It's always gonna be there. Like, alcohol is never gonna go out of style,” she shared.
She admitted, though, that the grind was tough and could be lonely at times, “When I was a student-athlete, I found it really lonely. Kasi I couldn't really find anyone that could relate with me. Wala akong mahanap na taong 'yung talagang study, training, study, training. Walang social life. And I was one of those people. Wala akong social life talaga.”
What Agatha said almost felt like Kobe-sque – the unapologetic grind in the face of inhumane schedules and unreasonable standards. “I felt like it's okay to sacrifice my social life in college. Kasi alam ko, when I graduate, I'm gonna meet so many more people. And that's true for me personally. It could be different for other people.”
BUSY YEAR AHEAD
A tough stretch awaits Agatha starting this August, as she is set to compete at the 4th Taijiquan Championships (August 21-28) in Singapore, before flying to Macau for the 10th Asian Wushu Championships. Afterwhich, she will visit Japan for the 3rd Taolu World Cup – all happening this 2024.
At present, the 25-year-old national athlete is pursuing a career in medicine at the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, while also maintaining a growing follower base on social media.
She uploads mini-vlogs and life updates on Instagram and Tiktok, where she has amassed 40,000 and 26,000 followers, respectively.
“I think 'yung advice ko, if you're entering a phase in your life where you're trying to question if sports is really for you, it's okay. Just let yourself experience it. Kasi in the end, no matter where you end up in life, you're going to learn a lot from it. And it's still going to shape who you are,” concluded Agatha.
