The IWUF 10th Sanda World Cup in Jiangyin, China concluded its thrilling showcase of the top sanda athletes in the world who had qualified from the most recent World Wushu Championships and 2024 International Wushu Invitational Tournament. The elite biennial competition, which offers prize money to the champions, was organized by the Chinese Wushu Association under the auspices of the International Wushu Federation.
The 10th SWC welcomes nearly 170 participants including team officials from 26 countries and regions competing across 46 bouts over three days. A total of 18 gold medals were awarded, including 11 in men’s events and 7 in women’s events.
China topped the medal table with 7 gold medals, once again demonstrating its outstanding strength in the field of Wushu Sanda. Vietnam ranked second with 4 golds and 2 silvers, while Iran ranked third with 3 golds and 1 silver, continuing the consistent performance of traditionally strong teams. India won 1 gold and 5 silver, and ranked fourth in the medal table; Hong Kong, China won 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze, including its first gold in history, and ranked fifth; the Philippines ranked sixth with 1 gold and 2 bronze. Australia achieved a historic breakthrough with 1 gold and 1 bronze. Kazakhstan, Italy, Brazil, Bermuda, Mexico, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and other teams won silver medals, highlighting the dynamic development of Wushu Sanda in the world.
Gala Opening Ceremony
The gala Opening Ceremony took place on April 6 in Jianying, featuring inspirational speeches by local leaders and IWUF officials, as well as the athlete and judge oath-taking. A gala performance featured a costumed martial arts extravaganza, with breathtaking wushu performances,Peking Opera and song and dance.
Sanda Action Kicks off April 7
On April 7, the action kicked off at the Pegasus Watertown Sports Stadium in Jiangyin as the world’s most elite sanda fighters took to the leitai in a quest for gold and glory. Fighters from China, Iran and Vietnam have traditionally dominated the top of the podium, and at this sanda showdown they displayed their full arsenal to the delight of cheering crowds.
Super Sanda Women
Getting the action rolling, China’s female sanda fighters once again demonstrated why, pound for pound, they are the most dominant and lethal full-contact force in the women’s sanda world. Danfeng Liu, 56kg, and Hailan Zhu, 70kg, both advanced to the next round, and Mengyue Chen, 52Kg, easily won her semifinal bout against Brazil’s Edina Prado Camargo. Iran’s fierce female warriors are as much of a force to be reckoned with, and 65kg Sedigheh Dariaeivarkadeh dispatched her tough opponent from Bermuda with a series of lightning fast kicks and a flurry of punches rarely missing their mark. At 60kg, Soheila Mansourian Semiromi, sister of Iran’s famous top female fighting stars, decisively defeated the Swiss fighter to move into Wednesday’s finals.
Vietnam’s sanda women athletes also stood out, and all made their fighting talents shine bright on the leitai, winning 3 semifinals and promising action in the finals to be fast and furious. They showed off their lightning-fast speed in both kicks and punches, with a determined laser focus their upcoming opponents will need to match to win.
Men’s Competition Begins with Excitement
The men’s competition was undeniably highlighted by the crowd favorite – the heavyweight competition – as China’s sanda superstar Xiang Ye, dispatched his opponent Nursultan Tursynkulov from Kazakstan with drama and force. All eyes were on the leitai as he dominated with a bevy of thunderous takedowns, devastating punches, and lethal kicks, which could be heard even in the stadium’s high seats. The crowd loved it, and eagerly awaited Xiang Ye’s next thrilling fight.
Other exciting fights included a hard-fought bout between Mexico’s Kevin Alan Gallardo Onofre as he bested Italian Fabio Gjoni in a 3-round bout; Filipino champ Carlos Baylon battled to win against Macau’s Hio Lam Ku, and Dat Huynh Do of Vietnam defeated Italy’s tough fighter Manuel Di Carlo also in 3 rounds.
10th Sanda World Cup Finals
The fighting action at the 10th Sanda World Cup reached an electrifying climax at the Pegasus Watertown Sports Stadium in Jiangyin, China on the final day of competition, April 9. As the dynamic showcase of the world’s top sanda athletes concluded, gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded at the medal ceremony which was attended by IWUF President Gao Zhidan, who presented the medals to the proud Women’s 60kg winners.
Sanda’s Women Stars Top the Podium
The women’s finals demonstrated that women’s sanda is beyond a doubt developing to an ever more sophisticated level. China’s athletes continued to dominate and show their lethal full-contact force on the leitai stage. Mengyue Chen, 52Kg, won her bout against her tough Vietnamese opponent in a close fight; Danfeng Liu, 56Kg sailed to victory against Brazil; and Hailan Zhu, 70kg, prevailed over a tough athlete from Turkmenistan.
Iran’s female warriors continued to exhibit their famous ferocity and display their trademark textbook sanda techniques. Legendary champion Sharbano Mansourian Semironi, 75kg, polished off her Tunisian opponent with a relentless barrage of throws, stylish kicks and hard hitting punches to win the gold. Adding more hardware to family tradition was her little sister Soheila Mansourian Semiromi, 60kg, taking home a silver medal after a tough fight with Vietnamese opponent Thi Thu Thuy Nguyen. And 65kg fighter Sedigheh Dariaeivarkadeh dominated her opponent with precisely targeted kicks and lightning fast punches to easily grab gold.
Vietnam’s sanda women vividly stood out, and all made their fighting talents shine bright on the leitai, showing off their lightning-fast speed in both kicks and punches, with a determined laser focus. Lan Nguyen Thi, 48Kg, dispatched her opponent in her final bout, though not without a tough fight from Indian fighter Chhavi Chhavi. In the 52 Kg division, Vietnam’s Nga Ngo Thi Phuong nearly upset China champ Mengyue Chen to win a hard-earned silver medal, while in the 60Kg division Thi Thi Tuay Nguyen fought a brilliant bout to overcome her Iranian opponent and take the gold.
While Asia scooped up the golds in the women’s sanda, notable female athletes from Brazil, Italy, Australia, Portugal, Switzerland, Tunisia and Bermuda made impressive showings to walk away with a slew of silver and bronze medals, and demonstrate that women’s sanda is truly developing rapidly worldwide.
Men’s Competition Displays Power and Skill
The men’s competition ran on full power and adrenaline, and also underscored that sanda is growing ever more popular as a global full-contact sport. China’s sanda superstar Xiang Ye was undeniably a crowd favorite, and the heavyweight competition never fails to deliver drama. In his final fight he attacked like a powerful bull, and mowed down his opponent from Hong Kong, China with an absolute victory in under a minute – but that minute was electrifying with a stunning roundhouse kick to the head and decisive throws, offset by kicks and punches that echoed in the rafters of the stadium.
The other 3 Chinese male fighters were a true force to be reckoned with on the leitai, leading off with the quick cat-like moves of 48Kg Jiahao Li against India’s Kushal Kumar in the lightweight division in a well-matched and exciting fight. At 65Kg, Wei Guo also defeated his skillful Indian opponent Ravi Panchal with a 2-round victory. The 80kg division saw China’s Minjie Gao dispatch Italian fighter Fabio Gjoni, but the silver medalist from Mexico, Kevin Alan Gallardo Onofre made his country proud putting up a very tough fight.
Another standout and noteworthy fighter in the men’s competition was Iranian top champion athlete Seyedmoein Taghavi, who faced Kazakstan’s national champion Saidakram Raimov. Raimov fought a brave fight, but Taghavi’s powerful takedowns and laser accuracy in strikes, particularly to the face, was spectacular. Raimov withstood two standing 10-counts -- the second from a stunning kick to the head – before the head judge called absolute victory for Taghavi.
The Southeast Asian collective powerhouse of Vietnam, Hong Kong China, and the Philippines not only brought home a slew of hardware, but continued to demonstrate the high level of sanda that keeps evolving the sport. Vietnam’s Tam Dinh Van, 52Kg, won a decisive gold against India; Carlos Jr. Baylon of Philippines took gold against Uzbekistan, and Dat Huynh Do of Vietnam snatched gold in the 70 Kg division.
The young prodigy from Hong Kong, China Yu Hong Leung (60 Kg) is Hong Kong China’s first World Wushu Championships world champion sanda gold medalist. He was IWUF’s Athlete of the Month for this past February, and now at 19 years of age has won his first gold Sanda World Cup medal.
The 85Kg fighter Australian Michael Nicholas Woodward is Australia’s first World Wushu Championships world champion sanda gold medalist. He has also made history by claiming the gold medal at the IWUF 10th Sanda World Cup this time.
Other notable gold medalists include the men’s 75 Kg division champ, India’s Mukesh Choudhary, who topped the podium. Overall India’s sanda fighters are as tough as they come – and we expect more Indian stars to rise in the near future.
Sanda on the Rise Worldwide
Pan America signaled that its fighters are a growing force to be reckoned with, as Mexico’s 80 Kg Kevin Alan Gallardo Onofre proudly won silver, as did women’s Brazilian sanda star 56 Kg Beatriz Adriao Rustic Silva. Sabrina Maria Detoma, 60 Kg, took a bronze home to Argentina, and Edina Prado Camargo took a bronze home to Brazil. The tiny nation of Bermuda is now firmly on the sanda map and wildly proud of their star female sanda athlete Krista Stepany Dyer who is coming home with a hard-fought silver medal. She was IWUF’s Athlete of the Month for November, 2024.
European sanda athletes are also on the rise, and champions at this 10th Sanda World Cup include bronze medalist Claudia Esteves Pires from Portugal, bronze medalist Elisa Calanducci from Italy, Gaia Lagona from Italy, and bronze medalist Salone Yael Schumacher from Switzerland among the women athletes. Male sanda champs include silver medalist Michele Balducci from Italy, bronze medalist Manuel Di Carlo from Italy, bronze medalist Yoan Benbedra from France, and bronze medalist Fabio Gjoni from Italy.
Cutting-Edge Sports Presentation
This year's event has been fully upgraded in terms of sports presentation, and through cutting-edge technology and innovative design, it has created the world's top wushu sanda competition experience that integrates competitiveness, entertainment and interactivity. The 10th SWC adopts 5G+8K ultra-high-definition ring display system, which provides multi-dimensional real-time competition data for the audience and significantly improves the viewing experience. Additionally, a custom-designed sound and lighting system has been introduced to create a fully immersive atmosphere for spectators.
All in all, the IWUF 10th Sanda World Cup was an unforgettable event, bringing the level of sanda higher than it has ever been before. As sanda spreads more rapidly around the globe, we look forward to an even bigger and better thrilling Sanda World Cup competition in another two years!
