Shanghai, October 23: Praveen Kumar made history on Wednesday as he became the first Indian man to win a gold medal at the Wushu World Championships. Praveen's phenomenal feat came after he defeated Philippines' Russel Diaz in the 48kg category.

The Indian saw off his Filipino opponent 2-1 in the men’s sanda event of the 15th World Wushu Championships held in Shanghai. He had earlier defeated Uzbekistan’s Khasan Ikromov 2-0 in the semifinal on Tuesday to set up the summit clash with Diaz. Sportsmanship at Its Best at Asian Games 2018! India’s Injured Surya Singh Carried by Iran’s Erfan Ahangarian Post Wushu Match (Watch Video).

In 2017, Pooja Kadian became the first Indian to be crowned world champion in wushu after she defeated Evgeniya Stepanova of Russia in the women’s 75 kg sanda event. Wushu sanda is a martial art which combines full-contact kickboxing, including close range punches and kicks, with wrestling, takedowns, throws, sweeps and kick catches.