SPECIAL: Ancient Chinese martial art inspires a young Argentinian dreamer

BUENOS AIRES, Nov 24 (XINHUA) – The practice of Wushu, the millennial Chinese martial art, inspired a young Argentine woman, who developed her personality through discipline and the dream of going to the Asian country to train, meet teachers and athletes and learn more about Chinese culture.

This is Florencia Miranda, 22 years old, who started practicing Wushu 11 years ago and who, thanks to her commitment and dedication, obtained two medals, one gold and one bronze, in the recent South American championship of this martial arts modality , held in the city of Buenos Aires.

“I got to know Wushu or Kung Fu through the movie Kung Fu Panda. When I arrived it was a new world, somehow I fell in love, that discipline captured me and since I started at that age I can’t stop, it’s something I love, it teaches me many things, especially to improve myself, both as a person and in the discipline,” said the young woman during a recent interview with Xinhua.

Florencia spoke at her home in the city of Berazategui, a neighborhood located in the southern suburbs of the capital and recognized for its emblematic Club Deportivo Berazategui, which the young woman represents and where she usually trains.

“I didn’t know the sport, but I was encouraged and I went. I did the shapes, I did the combat and I kept the shapes apart, I felt it was something mine, mine, something harmonious. Being on the mat created a feel to be myself, I could prove who I am by training and competing, and always surpassing myself”, highlighted the athlete.

The young woman stressed that the practice of Wushu or Kung Fu “helps her grow as a person”.

“It helps me to get to know myself, I feel like I’m always improving. Thanks to the fact that I started competing and thanks to Wushu, I started developing my way of being,” she said.

Florencia has revealed that she considers herself very competitive. “Not only because I play tournaments, but while studying I always try to understand and always go further, it’s a discipline that gives me a lot, it helps me fight my fears. I’ve always been very closed off and as I started competing and started opening up, he just lets me flow when I go through the motions,” she confided.

The athlete is a graduate student in kinesiology and physiatry, and in her spare time she teaches wushu to young children.

“When I compete, when I train, when I train, I always do it from who I am, I show who I am, what I like, it’s like an art to me, it’s something fun, it’s competitive, it’s dynamic, it’s explosive, but it’s an art that I like for people to see, and I also like for people to feel what I feel about this sport, about doing wushu,” said the young woman.

Florencia’s family supports her dedication and encourages her to dream of the possibility of furthering her knowledge of the discipline and getting to know China firsthand.

“When I started, I knew nothing about Chinese culture, nothing about Asian culture, but I started to investigate who explains the techniques, I became a fan of Chinese athletes (…) and Chinese culture fascinated me, It fascinates me since I started,” the athlete stressed.

The young woman confessed that she set herself “a challenge, which is to compete one day in China, or go and train with masters where the sport was born. I think about it and it excites me to think that I will go to train there or compete there, it would be something extraordinary”.

“The culture is beautiful, I have known many landscapes on the Internet, sports universities in Beijing, and it would be a dream for me to be there together with teachers and colleagues, who receive me, train me and teach me more about the techniques,” added Florencia .

The athlete stressed that in China she likes architecture, houses, landscapes, language and the fact of connection with nature.

“It would be a wonderful experience. If one day I have the opportunity to go there, I imagine traveling by plane, seeing all the landscapes from the plane, landing, walking, meeting everything that is China, I have the image of the gardens, the houses , which I have also seen in movies, and I expect something more,” he said.

“The Chinese are very developed people and they have a lot to give, I feel that when I arrive I will find many things that I never expected. Training there in the training centers, with official mats and lots of athletes, sharing the sport with other people, the language, it would also be fun, it would be a dream come true”, summed up the interviewee moved.

The city of Buenos Aires hosted the Third South American Championship of this martial arts modality between November 10 and 14, organized by the South American Federation of the discipline.

Florencia participated in a competition of this magnitude for the first time, where she showed what she learned from her teacher, Federico Tevez, the only Argentine international referee certified in China.

“It was an unforgettable experience, I met teachers, competitors from the region and Argentina. It was a big challenge, but it was fun,” said the young woman, who won two medals.