Congratulations to our Athletes of the Day for Wednesday 13th July, at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama. On the sixth day of competition of the eleventh edition of the Games, the Wushu fighter Xiaoxiao Lai from the People’s Republic of China and the Gymnastics pair Lucas Barbosa & Tamires Silva were celebrated on stage at The World Games Plaza.
Fencing with Thomas Bach: Xiaoxiao Lai
For the 28-year-old wushu fighter Xiaoxiao Lai, Wednesday was quite stressful. First the athlete of the People's Republic of China won the Women's Taolu Changquan competition in the morning. 9,587 points were enough for a convincing success. But what counted more than all the points was her performance in her magenta-colored competition outfit. She gave a simply breathtaking example why Wushu is so appealing. Right after the success had been achieved the fighter took on a new role: she became an ambassador for her sport. IOC President Thomas Bach visited the competition venue at Birmingham-Southern College. The World Games Champion invited Thomas Bach to take part in a small exhibition fight with the sword. She had chosen the right person for the occasion. For Bach was himself a gold medalist in fencing. Xiaoxiao Lai was just the right person for the exhibition match. The Chinese superstar has built a remarkable golden career, becoming one of her nation’s most prestigious and decorated athletes. Born in Anhui, China, and a longtime member of the Anhui Wushu team, Xiaoxiao has won top honors at every competition that challenged her. Besides her fist, spear and sword, she is also usually armed with her bright smile, and winning personality.
Today was the day: Lucas Barbosa and Tamires Silva
Brazilian Mixed Pair Lucas Barbosa and Tamires Silva were two people not lacking in energy when competing in Aerobic Gymnastics pair. Another combination who had never before triumphed on a world stage, the long-time duo put everything in to finally beating Aerobics legends, Daniel Bali and Fanni Mazacs (HUN). “It was our best ever performance and that’s what we needed,” Barbosa said scoring 20.650 to pip the Hungarians and reverse the one-two at June’s World Championships. “When I woke up I felt like ‘let’s get this gold, it’s our gold’. I put some music on from Brazil that says ‘today is the day’ and I told her (Silva) let’s get the gold, today is the day.”
Actually they’ve been striving for gold at The World Games for weeks. They had to overcome a “slight” obstacle. Lucas Barbosa said before going to Birmingham that he and mixed pairs partner Tamires Silva did not immediately work well together, but that over time they developed a close understanding of each other. "Initially we didn't believe that competing together could succeed because we had such different styles. Training together helped a lot, building a friendship based on trust, intimacy and complicity. Together we lived the best days of my life and also the worst ones."
The World Games is a multi-sport event staged every four years by the International World Games Association, organised with the support of the International Olympic Committee. The 11th edition of The World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 7-17 July 2022. 3,600 athletes from 34 sports and over 100 countries will take part in The World Games.