Guangxi has claimed victory in both the men's and women's 60 meter race in single bamboo drifting on the opening day of the 12th edition of the National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities of China. The women's title was won by Lu Chuntao, and the men's title went to Wei Bingyue.

Drifting on a single piece of bamboo used to be a means of transportation, which originated from northern Guizhou province. In 2021, it was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage and it has now developed into a recognised sport where competitors stand on a single piece of bamboo and race at high speeds.

Masters of the sport say that it all comes down to balance and strength, but even professional rowers find it difficult due to the multitasking involved.

"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," said Lu. "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," she added.

This was Lu's third time at a National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities. But it was her first time winning the 60 meters event after clinching the 100m and 200m title at the previous two editions.

"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," said Lu.