Years before her Youth Olympic debut, Ng Zhe Nin was a curious onlooker at her community centre, captivated by other students taking wushu classes.
Ng Zhe Nin, 16, shows the gold medal she won in the women's taijiquan combined event at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, during an interview on CNA's Singapore Tonight. (Image: CNA)
Ng Zhe Nin, 16, shows the gold medal she won in the women's taijiquan combined event at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, during an interview on CNA's Singapore Tonight. (Image: CNA)
SINGAPORE: Ng Zhe Nin never imagined that watching wushu classes at a community centre would one day lead her to the top of a Youth Olympic podium.
While taking ballet and Chinese orchestra lessons, she found herself drawn to the energy of the wushu sessions at her community centre.
The youngster would often stop to watch other children practise, captivated by the elaborate movements, stances and kicks.
Her curiosity did not go unnoticed. After seeing her on the sidelines day after day, coaches invited her to give the Chinese martial art a try.
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Ng took up wushu at the age of 10 and never looked back.
“It was a really exciting atmosphere, so it really drew me in,” Ng told CNA's Singapore Tonight, recalling how she first became interested in the sport.
“The club coaches saw me every day there watching. So, they decided to let me try out. And, here I am.”
Years later, that chance encounter culminated in a historic gold medal for Singapore.
The 16-year-old clinched the women's taijiquan combined title on Nov 3 at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, becoming one of the first Youth Olympic gold medallists in wushu as the sport made its debut as a medal event.
But Ng was already making her mark on the international stage well before her Youth Olympic triumph.
In 2024, she won a gold and a silver at the World Junior Wushu Championships in Brunei.
She followed that up with two golds and a silver at this year's edition in Tianjin, China, cementing her status as one of Singapore's rising stars in martial arts.
But her rise to the top has demanded countless hours of training and sacrifices along the way.