Richmond wushu standout Bianca Go is getting ready to return to the competitive mats before beginning the next chapter of her life.
The recently-turned 18-year-old is entered in the upcoming Western Canadian Martial Arts Championships then is headed to China next month for the Traditional Wushu World Championships where she will be competing in one of her specialty events — single straight sword.
It was roughly a year ago when Go returned from the Junior World Championships in Bulgaria in need of a deserved break from the modern exhibition of traditional martial arts that requires tremendous power, flexibility and coordination.
Over compensating for a nagging left tendon, Go injured her other foot and barely made it through her jingo (straight sword) event, somehow finishing 10th.
The injuries, however, forced her to withdraw from the championships.
Months of rest and rehabilitation followed as Go focused on her Grade 12 year at Magee Secondary where she was part of the Vancouver school’s SPARTS program for high performance athletes. Finally, she was not only ready to resume training with her longtime coach Wang Heng but also lead wushu classes at her school on River Road in North Richmond —the Wang Heng Wushu Taichi Institute.
Her entire focus on wushu will be short term. Go has enrolled in the year-long Early Childhood Education program at Langara and will begin full-time studies in January.
“I’ve actually taken a gap semester,” explained Go following one of her teaching sessions last week. “I never would have been able to take two weeks off from school to compete in China. It’s just a lot of training and coaching right now and I like being here. I’m feeling much better now and hope I stay this way.”
Go is unsure where her wushu career is headed once she has earned her diploma. She is now a senior age athlete and can compete at least into her late 20s if she wishes too. It may depend on what career opportunities are in front of her.
“It’s going to depend if my body can still take it and how it fits in with work and school. It’s going to be all about balancing things,” she smiled.
Go has always enjoyed performing wushu exhibitions and promoting the sport at events throughout Metro Vancouver. It was watching a demonstration years ago that piqued her initial interest.
“I really like performing,” she added. It’s not as much pressure and it’s fun to show other people what wushu is and I get to promote my sport.”
