Wong Sok I : Forge Ahead towards Asian Games
Wong Sok I, a Macao karate athlete, has been a full-time player since the East Asian Games in 2013 where she won her first bronze medal. She won her next bronze medal at the Indonesia Asian Games in 2018. The passion she has for karate always drove her forward throughout her career and has eventually led her to experience honourable moments and helped her overcome any low points that she had. She is now all set to face the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2022 and expects to reach a new height.
Wong Sok I first learned about karate in fourth grade at primary school and was selected into the training team in her senior year of high school. In 2013, Wong won the bronze medal in the women's individual kumite 56 kg event at the 6th East Asian Games in Tianjin while playing for Macao. Shortly after, she became a part of Training Subsidy Program for Elite Athletes and was a subsidized professional athlete in Elite Level 2A.
Start of the professional career after winning the bronze medal at East Asian Games
After becoming a professional athlete, Wong Sok I devoted herself completely to training. However, she reached to the bottleneck of her career when suddenly an increase of intensity training caused fatigue, which led to a poor training effect. The vicious cycle haunted Wong Sok I, preventing her from fulfilling her targets for three years from 2015 to 2018. The situation halted when in the 18th Asian Games in 2018 Wong Sok I managed to win the bronze medal in the women's freestyle 56 kg event. She stepped out of the rock bottom she had gotten into and was back in the game.
After returning to regular training, Wong Sok I was back on form. Looking back at the unforgettable 18th Asian Games, Wong Sok I said, “Actually, I was not in a stable state right before the Asian Games, but my mind cleared when I heard the draw. I was in the same group with players from Chinese Taipei and Malaysia who are among the top five in the world, that is when I thought to myself that I must win over them to get a medal. I decided to take a leap of faith. I was worried about being out of the game before meeting them and had even planned my retirement if I lost. Fortunately, the negative emotions and pressure only pushed me forward to win the bronze medal.”
Doing the best at Asian Games in Hangzhou
Karate fascinates Wong Sok I in a magical way. In the beginning, training was more of a boring process, but she gradually started enjoying it and felt empty if she was not training. She learned about tolerance, perseverance, facing and learning from failure bravely through practicing karate. Wong now appreciates everything she gained from karate. Apart from challenging the impossible, Wong also enjoys the feeling of unlocking new levels in the game that make her brave enough to face challenges of a professional athlete. “I want to give it a try. I do not want to look back and regret when I get older.”
This year, Wong Sok I aimed to enter the Asian Championship and World Championship which were both cancelled because of the pandemic outbreak. Wong now aims at entering the final of 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. “Hard as it is, I will do my best and forge ahead towards my goal. I plan to retire after Hangzhou Games, so I will fight with all my strength.”
