After two rounds of kicking and striking, Ma Yigu from China won gold by beating Indonesian Nada Guitara 2-0 in the men's Sanda 60kg final of the Wushu tournament at the Chengdu Universiade on Thursday.

Ma, 20, was born in a remote mountain area in Mianning County of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Sichuan province.

"I came from a small town, and martial arts changed my life," said Ma, adding that he has been practicing martial arts for over ten years.

Though Ma watched many Kung Fu movies when he was a little boy, he still tried his best to help his parents in the farmland after practicing martial arts.

"You can't choose where you were born, but you can work hard to chase your dream," said Ma, adding that no matter what difficulties he encountered, he would never give up easily.

Yu Feibiao, Ma's coach, recalled that his student had nowhere to go one spring festival several years ago because his family members worked far away from hometown. Yu invited the boy home and treated him like his own child during the festival.

"Many people, including my coach, have helped me a lot during the past few years, and I really appreciate it," said Ma, adding that all the hardships he has experienced can't stop him from becoming better.

Ma lost all games except one competition in a martial arts competition in the province when he was ten years old. After that, he lost again due to his own faults when he was fifteen in another competition.

Ma believed that every fall was a trial, and he could learn from it. "I think that I will keep on making progress step by step," he said.

After rising and falling, Ma finally stepped onto the Universiade as a gold medalist and a college student at Chengdu Sport University.

"I believe that sports will attract more youths like me to explore the possibilities of life," Ma said.

Yu hoped that Chinese martial arts athletes, including Ma, should not only practice well but also keep up with learning.

"People with wisdom and skills will promote martial arts throughout the world," Yu said.

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