Daniel Parantac puts PH on Asian Games medal board with wushu silver

MANILA, Philippines – Daniel Parantac gave the Philippines its first medal in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea as he bagged the silver in the wushu men’s taijiquan event Tuesday, September 23. 

The 23-year old Baguio native finished with a score of 9.68 and very nearly nabbed a gold as China’s Zhouli Chen tallied a score of 9.78 for first place.

Parantac barely squeaked past Myanmar’s Chan Ko Ko Nyein, who took the bronze medal after registering a score of 9.65. 

Parantac settled for 8th place in the men’s taijijian or double-edged sword event with his score of 9.58.

He previously ranked 14 in both events during the 2010 edition of the Asian Games at Guangzhou, China. 

Parantac is also a gold medalist for the Taijiquan and Taijijian All-Around events at the 2013 Southeast Asian Games.

Taijiquan is a style of wushu known for its slow, relaxed, and carefully crafted movements. Balance is key as it is characterized by difficult holds, jumps, jump kicks and graceful landing. Taijijian is similar to taijiquan except that it employs the use of a jian or double-edged straight sword.

Wushu is traditional Chinese martial arts divided into two disciplines namely taolu (forms) and sanda (sparring). Taijiquan and taijijian fall under the discipline of taolu, where competitors are judged and given points for demonstrating patterns and maneuvers.

A recipient of the Athlete of the Year award at the 2013 Kafagway Sports Achievers Awards, Parantac won the bronze medal for the same taijiquan event during the 2013 World Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. – Rappler.com