Mountain boy's uphill battle to gold

Like father, like son

Ma Yigu's passion for the sport was also nurtured by his wushu-enthusiast father, Ma Gutizi, who was effectively his first coach.

"My father needed to work outside our county, but whenever he was back home, he would push me to train. Every morning, he would make sure I got up to go for a run. He also bought me sandbags which I used for my leg workouts," said Ma Yigu.

Ma Gutizi admitted he could barely contain his excitement when his son claimed gold in Chengdu.

"The entire family gathered together to watch it on the TV. His hard work had finally paid off," said Ma Gutizi. "Because he is busy with his training and studies, he has little time to come back home. But he always phones us, and when he returns, I will make sure to prepare his favorite dishes to celebrate his victory in Chengdu."

Ma Gutizi is especially proud of the role he played in his son's formative years in the sport.

"I liked wushu when I was kid, and my son was influenced by me and found his passion in the sport. I always support him to chase his sanda dreams. He has done well, and he has brought honor to the nation and our family. I hope he can achieve more in the sport and maintain his sporting spirit," Ma Gutizi said.

There's no doubt Ma Yigu is grateful to his devoted dad. "My father worked very hard for me and the entire family," he said. "In the future, I hope to win more events and earn more prize money, so I can build a bigger house for my father in our village. That's how I want to repay him."