Agatha Wong heads to the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan with more than a stronger body and sharper skills.

After completing a grueling 65-day training camp in China, Wong believes she is better prepared to improve on her fifth-place finish in the women’s taijiquan and taijijian events at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023.

“So actually, my team and I just came back from a 65-day intensive training camp in China. We’re really focused on training our skills and honing our skills,” said Wong, a six-time gold medalist in the Southeast Asian Games.

“I think it’s been a very advantageous opportunity that the PSC gave us because we didn’t really have the chance to go to China for overseas training in the last Asian Games.”

The extended camp has given Wong valuable preparation as she tries to return to the podium after settling for fifth place in Hangzhou.

Wong previously won a bronze medal in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia and is determined to make another run at the podium in Nagoya.

But while her preparations have been demanding, Wong has also made sure her sporting career does not come at the expense of her medical studies at the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center.

“I really made it a point to still focus on my education as well as my sports career. I wouldn’t really sacrifice one for the other,” Wong, 28, said.

For now, however, Wong’s attention is firmly on Nagoya.

After months of intense preparation, she knows staying healthy could be just as important as the training itself, particularly with injuries capable of derailing years of preparation on the day of competition.

“Well, definitely, there are a lot of factors. I could possibly get injured there. That’s why we’re really trying to take care of our bodies up until we fly to Japan,” Wong said.