CHINESE film star and wushu exponent Jet Li inspired Malaysian Yeap Wai Kin to bag his first Sea Games gold medal in the the men’s “jianshu” (sword) event today.

Being a fan of the Shaolin Temple star since he was a boy, the 24-year-old Penang-born Yeap beat his compatriot and World Cup winner Wong Weng Son for the gold at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

“Before competitions, I always watch his (Li’s) videos…He inspired me a lot to become a wushu athlete,” said the 2011 Junior World Championship double gold winner before the prize-giving ceremony.

“My dream is to become a coach and develop wushu in Malaysia because it is still not popular in the country. So, I hope this success will inspire a lot of people to get into wushu.”

Yeap claimed the gold in the double-edged sword event after accumulating 9.67 points, while Wong collected 9.65 points.

Singapore’s Fun Jin Jie took the bronze with 9.48 points.

The 2013 World Championship double silver medallist will compete in the “qiang shu” (spear) category tomorrow in an attempt at double gold, with home ground advantage. – Bernama, August 20, 2017.