Guangxi has made a remarkable start to the 12th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities of China by securing victories in both the men's and women's 60-meter single bamboo drifting races. Lu Chuntao clinched the women's title, while Wei Bingyue took home the men's title.
Single bamboo drifting, a sport that originated from northern Guizhou province as a traditional means of transportation, was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2021. Since then, it has evolved into a competitive sport where athletes balance on a single piece of bamboo and race at high speeds.
Experts highlight that the sport demands exceptional balance and strength. The complexity of multitasking involved makes it challenging even for professional rowers. According to Lu Chuntao, \"This sport requires a lot physically from the athletes. The technique is to use the interaction force between the bamboo pole and water to find balance. But how to race faster depends on the athletes' physical strength. The most difficult thing of the sport is multitasking, as you need to keep your balance standing up, while keeping your direction, and at the same time speeding up. So it's not an easy task to accomplish, and we fall down quite frequently.\"
This victory marks Lu's third participation in the National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities. While she has previously won the 100m and 200m events, this is her first triumph in the 60 meters race.
Representing the Zhuang ethnic group, Lu expressed her joy, stating, \"I'm from the Zhuang ethnic group and I'm very happy that I can finally win in all three women's events of this sport in the Games, and I've achieved my goal this time. I think the beauty of the sport is that it showcases the athlete's power and balance on the bamboo.\"
Reference(s):
Guangxi's Lu Chuntao wins women's 60m single bamboo drifting race
cgtn.com
