Chengdu (China): Germany’s Marius-Andrei Balan and Khrystyna Moshenska claimed the Latin dance gold medal at the 2025 World Games here on Friday with a total of 195.71 points, while home favourites Du Yujun and Yan Bangbang finished fourth, marking China’s best finish in Latin dance at the World Games.
“It’s our first World Games, and the atmosphere has been fantastic,” Balan said. “From the moment we arrived until stepping onto the floor, we felt that everyone around us made this competition important. That gave us a stronger sense of responsibility.”
It was also a debut performance for the German pair at the event, adding a new milestone to their decorated career, reports Xinhua.
France’s Charles-Guillaume Schmitt and Elena Salikhova took silver with 194.00 points, followed by Spain’s Guillem Pascual Iniesta and Diandra Illes in third on 188.46. Du and Yan scored 186.96, missing the podium by 1.5 points after five dances – samba, cha cha cha, rumba, paso doble, and jive.
Balan, 34, and Moshenska, 35, four-time world champions from 2021 to 2024, began their partnership in 2015 in Pforzheim, Germany, and quickly rose to the top of the sport. They captured German, European, and World Latin titles within six weeks in 2021 and have remained among the most successful couples in international Latin dance.
Balan attributed their success to “consistency” under pressure. “Whatever stress or challenge you have, you always step up. That consistency is what separates top athletes from the rest,” he said.
Du and Yan, both 31 years old, are currently China’s highest-ranked Latin dance duo. In 2024, they placed fourth at the World Championships – a best-ever result for Chinese dancers at that event. Over recent years, they have steadily climbed the world rankings, breaking multiple national records in the process.
Inside the packed Chengbei Gymnasium, the home crowd cheered and applauded enthusiastically each time the Chinese pair took to the floor. The energy from the stands, Du later noted, “was like an extra push on every step,” helping them produce one of their strongest performances on the international stage.
The Chinese pair’s performance improved on their semifinal appearance at the previous edition in Birmingham, the United States, which had been the country’s best performance in the event. “We may have lost in results, but we won in our dance,” Yan said. “It felt like everyone in the venue was dancing with us.”
The pair are also known for blending Chinese cultural elements, such as Tai Chi and Baduanjin, into their routines. “When we dance rumba or paso doble, we try to convey the feeling of tai chi’s circular flow and internal energy,” Yan explained. “It’s something different from the European style, and many people here told us they enjoyed it.”
China also celebrated another milestone in Chengdu, as Shao Huinan and Yu Qiufan joined Du and Yan in the semifinals. Having two pairs reach the top 14 at the World Games for the first time underscored the depth and progress of Chinese Latin dance in recent years.
Latin dance is one of the centrepiece disciplines of dancesport at the World Games, which gathers elite athletes from non-Olympic sports across the globe.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhuoling won the women’s Wushu Taijiquan-Taijijian on Friday night, securing China’s first gold at The World Games 2025. The 21-year-old scored 9.796 points to top the standings after the morning’s Taijiquan and finished third in the evening’s Taijijian, combining for 19.522 points to win the gold. Singapore’s Zeanne Law scored 19.430 points to take the silver, and Chin Sy Xuan Sydney of Malaysia got the bronze with 19.410 points.
Italy was leading the medals tally 12 medals, including four gold, the same as Germany, which have four silver and two bronze, while Italy have five silver and three bronze. Iran and Switzerland are third and fourth, respectively, with two gold medals each among the overall tally of eight medals.
(IANS)
