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    Agatha Wong takes balancing sport and school to another level

    Elite student-athlete: Med school freshman Agatha Wong wins gold
    May 12, 2023
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    PHOTO: SEAG / Agatha Wong Instagram

    PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Agatha Wong continued her supremacy in taolu by taking home her fifth Southeast Asian Games gold in wushu on Friday here.

    The 24-year-old Wong scored 19.624 in the taijiquan + taijijian for the gold, but this could go down as the toughest.

    See Agatha Wong clinches fifth SEA Games gold medal in wushu

    She is currently in her first year in medicine school at University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Center, while continuing to pursue her athletic career at the same time.

    Due to the demands of medicine school and training, she admitted not expecting another gold this year.

    “Hindi ko inexpect na mananalo ako kasi I’m also a medicine student. I’m in my first year of medicine. And I didn’t graduate from a science degree kaya medyo mahirap siya for me to balance my training,” said Wong.

    “Pag gusto mo, may paraan. Mahirap siya pero kakayanin kasi I really like the sport,” said Wong.

    Wong pursued a postgraduate degree, four years after she earned a degree in Diplomatic Affairs at College of Saint Benilde in 2018.

    “’Yung family ko kasi, hati sila. ‘Yung mommy ko kasi galing sa family of doctors. ‘Yung daddy ko, may mga relatives na lawyers. They didn’t really pressure me to pursue any of the two professions.”

    “Hindi kasi pang-law ang personality ko. Naisip ko since nagii-sports naman ako, why don’t I connect it. Kaya pumunta ako ng med,” said Wong.

    Agatha Wong

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    Wong said she trained from Monday to Saturday while juggling her schooling.

    “So hard,” said Wong, when asked about her typical day. “Nagte-training ako twice a day and then I’ll still have class. Tapos I’ll study at night and minsan, kahit sa weekends, hindi na ako kahit sa weekends I don’t really rest kasi ‘yung training namin is Monday to Saturday. Sunday lang ‘yung rest but ‘yung Sunday, I allot it sa backlog sa school. I don’t really oversleep anymore. I still wake up ng 7 a.m. Monday to Sunday. Tuluy-tuloy lang siya.”

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      Wong put herself in position for a gold medal when she finished third in the taijiquan with a score of 9.5800 on Wednesday before clinching the title with an impressive 9.683 in taijijian.

      “I was really happy with that result,” said Wong on being third halfway into the competition. “Hindi ko talaga inexpect na magta-top three ako.”

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      “I’ve been training hard. ‘Yung nasa utak ko is ‘yung backlogs ko sa school. Nung pag-alis ko kasi sa Pilipinas, everyone was expecting na I would win, pero ako, I can’t even expect myself to win. Sobrang hard i-manage mentality so I was happy na nag-third pa ako,” said Wong.

      Wong thanked UERM for also being supportive of her athletic career.

      “Shoutout sa kanila kasi they are so supportive of me. They are the only school that really supported me kahit postgrad. Even before I decided to go that school, kinausap ko na ‘yung dean at sinabi niya, just tell us kailan ka aalis and we will give you an excuse kasi mahirap kapag college, kapag postgrad, it’s really hard to get an excuse. Nagulat ako na they are very, very lenient sa reason ko which is excusable naman kasi it is because to represent the country,” said Wong.

      With still four years in med school, Wong said she doesn’t plan to retire from sport just yet.

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      “I don’t know. Hanggang sa kaya ko,” said Wong.

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      PHOTO: SEAG / Agatha Wong Instagram
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