The Journey Of A World Champion
Parent Feature - Zeanne Law Zhi Ning
Written By
Kuk Hun Yi, Parent Education Advisor, Sporting Parents Network
On 18 November 2023, the world changed for Zeanne Law Zhi Ning when, at the young age of 18, she was crowned World Champion at the Fort Worth Convention Centre in Fort Worth in Texas. The competition was intense, and in a closely contested tiebreak, Zeanne prevailed over her closest rival because of a higher degree of difficulty in her chosen routine.
In January this year, Zeanne was feted as the 2023 Wushu Taolu Rising Star of the Year by the International Wushu Federation and was added as a recipient of the spexScholarship this year.
Zeanne, a final-year IBDP student-athlete, is no stranger to competitions. She debuted at the Hanoi SEA Games in 2022 at the age of 16 and has been representing Singapore and competing in major competitions like the SEA Games and Asian Games.
However, it is a big step up to competing from competing in regional competitions to taking the gold in her first world championships. Jeanne herself was surprised to win but was encouraged as it was a testimony to the hard work that she had put in. Zeanne ascribes her success at the World Championships to her dedicated training and constant fine-tuning of her techniques and strategies in the never-ending pursuit to be better.
Mrs Law shares that Zeanne developed an interest in wushu when she witnessed the wonderful martial arts performances of her classmates on stage while studying at Bodhi Primary School. She signed up for Wushu CCA when she was 9 years old and at 13 years old, Zeanne was inducted into the youth team of the Wushu Federation. As no one in Zeanne’s family practices Wushu, it has been Zeanne’s coaches who identified her talents long ago and have helped sharpen her techniques through the years to where she is today.
From an early age, Zeanne was very focused and only wanted to learn martial arts, and her passion to improve in the sport can be seen as she often watches major martial arts competitions to learn and observe the styles and movements of the contestants. In terms of her dedication, Mrs Law observed that Zeanne is very self-disciplined in her training and her studies.
In 2023, Zeanne prepped for the World Championships whilst simultaneously studying for her International Baccalaureate examinations. Her daily grind includes squeezing in time between classes during the day in Sports School to train, and making journeys to the Bedok Martial Arts Center every weekday after school to continue training, often returning past 11.00 pm in the evenings, to review her homework before calling it a day. Mrs Law credits Sports School for its flexible arrangements and full cooperation to help Zeanne balance her studies and sports, in order to excel in both.
With regards to advice for parents who have children interested in picking up Wushu, Mrs Law shared that children should be exposed to the sport from an early age, at around 7 or 8 years old, so that they can develop a good foundation in martial arts, and take advantage of the best developmental period to improve their martial art skills. Mrs Law cautioned that practising martial arts is a slow and long journey, and children may become tired and discouraged along the way and therefore the full support of the family is very important.
Mrs Law observed that the benefits of practising martial arts are manifold, as martial arts practitioners tend to be more self-disciplined and independent in character, and this can be seen in Zeanne’s teammates as they are all well-behaved, sensible, and polite student-athletes who are excellent in both character and academics. Getting the basics right in martial arts can take a long time, but if one can shift one’s mindset, one can find the inner strength to overcome any challenges. Zeanne herself added that Wushu is a beautiful sport that incorporates strength and grace in every movement, and the satisfaction that one gets from completing a good routine is immeasurably rewarding.
Congratulations to Zeanne and her family for their achievements and for flying the Singapore flag high. We hope that Zeanne can blaze the path for future generations of Singapore Wushu exponents to be successful on the world stage.
Written By
Kuk Hun Yi, Parent Education Advisor, Sporting Parents Network
On 18 November 2023, the world changed for Zeanne Law Zhi Ning when, at the young age of 18, she was crowned World Champion at the Fort Worth Convention Centre in Fort Worth in Texas. The competition was intense, and in a closely contested tiebreak, Zeanne prevailed over her closest rival because of a higher degree of difficulty in her chosen routine.
In January this year, Zeanne was feted as the 2023 Wushu Taolu Rising Star of the Year by the International Wushu Federation and was added as a recipient of the spexScholarship this year.
Zeanne, a final-year IBDP student-athlete, is no stranger to competitions. She debuted at the Hanoi SEA Games in 2022 at the age of 16 and has been representing Singapore and competing in major competitions like the SEA Games and Asian Games.
However, it is a big step up to competing from competing in regional competitions to taking the gold in her first world championships. Jeanne herself was surprised to win but was encouraged as it was a testimony to the hard work that she had put in. Zeanne ascribes her success at the World Championships to her dedicated training and constant fine-tuning of her techniques and strategies in the never-ending pursuit to be better.
Mrs Law shares that Zeanne developed an interest in wushu when she witnessed the wonderful martial arts performances of her classmates on stage while studying at Bodhi Primary School. She signed up for Wushu CCA when she was 9 years old and at 13 years old, Zeanne was inducted into the youth team of the Wushu Federation. As no one in Zeanne’s family practices Wushu, it has been Zeanne’s coaches who identified her talents long ago and have helped sharpen her techniques through the years to where she is today.
From an early age, Zeanne was very focused and only wanted to learn martial arts, and her passion to improve in the sport can be seen as she often watches major martial arts competitions to learn and observe the styles and movements of the contestants. In terms of her dedication, Mrs Law observed that Zeanne is very self-disciplined in her training and her studies.
In 2023, Zeanne prepped for the World Championships whilst simultaneously studying for her International Baccalaureate examinations. Her daily grind includes squeezing in time between classes during the day in Sports School to train, and making journeys to the Bedok Martial Arts Center every weekday after school to continue training, often returning past 11.00 pm in the evenings, to review her homework before calling it a day. Mrs Law credits Sports School for its flexible arrangements and full cooperation to help Zeanne balance her studies and sports, in order to excel in both.
With regards to advice for parents who have children interested in picking up Wushu, Mrs Law shared that children should be exposed to the sport from an early age, at around 7 or 8 years old, so that they can develop a good foundation in martial arts, and take advantage of the best developmental period to improve their martial art skills. Mrs Law cautioned that practising martial arts is a slow and long journey, and children may become tired and discouraged along the way and therefore the full support of the family is very important.
Mrs Law observed that the benefits of practising martial arts are manifold, as martial arts practitioners tend to be more self-disciplined and independent in character, and this can be seen in Zeanne’s teammates as they are all well-behaved, sensible, and polite student-athletes who are excellent in both character and academics. Getting the basics right in martial arts can take a long time, but if one can shift one’s mindset, one can find the inner strength to overcome any challenges. Zeanne herself added that Wushu is a beautiful sport that incorporates strength and grace in every movement, and the satisfaction that one gets from completing a good routine is immeasurably rewarding.
Congratulations to Zeanne and her family for their achievements and for flying the Singapore flag high. We hope that Zeanne can blaze the path for future generations of Singapore Wushu exponents to be successful on the world stage.
