Teenage Sanshou fighter Samir Furqan said it was an “honour” to be the first Bermudian to appear at the Junior World Wushu Championships in China last week.The Bermudian was eliminated at the first hurdle, losing his opening match in the 56kg division against Turkey’s Mustafa Korkusuz.But despite the early exit from the tournament Furqan said he still had much to be proud of.“It is an honour to come out and represent your country in tournaments such as the Wushu Championships,” he said. “And I’m also honoured that I influenced others to come out and study martial arts.”China’s Lan Yousheng won the 56kg division in his homeland.During his stay in China, Furqan completed a gruelling week of training under the direction of Chinese national Sanshou coach Master Genxue Zhang.The Pan American Junior Wushu Championship bronze medallist reckoned the lessons learned from that experience would put him in good stead moving forward.“The lessons I learned in China was to always keep my heart rate up before a fight for a better performance in the ring, move around your opponent to avoid his powerful side and always listen out for your corner for valuable information,” he said.“These lessons will help me become a better fighter and increase my chances of winning the next tournament.”Furqan, who has ambitions of turning pro, said he also learned how to remain mentally focused in the heat of battle.His next fight will be on the undercard of next month’s ‘All or Nothing’ WBC & WBA World Middleweight Boxing Championship at Fairmont Southampton which features Bermuda’s women’s boxing champion Teresa Perozzi.And the local fighter reckons he’s up for the challenge.“I feel more than ready for my next fight because of all the training I had in Xian, which helped increase my stamina and take down abilities,” he added. “And fighting in the Wushu Championships gave me even more experience and strategies in the ring.”Sanshou or san da is a martial art developed by the Chinese military based upon the study and practices of traditional Kung Fu and modern combat fighting techniques.For the past three years, Furqan has been fighting in full contact against physically superior and older opponents.His record in international competition so far this year stands at 1-2.