Taekwondo practitioner Xiao Xiang-wen wins Taiwan’s first Asian Para Games gold

2023-10-24

Taiwan celebrated its first gold at the Asian Para Games on Monday. Taekwondo practitioner Xiao Xiang-wen emerged victorious in the men’s under-58-kilogram event in the K44 class. The 24-year-old had taken an unexpected journey to gold, after a traffic accident dashed his dream of making the mainstream taekwondo team. Now, as a para-athlete, his hard work has paid off, and he’s fulfilled his dream of shining bright on the global stage.

Taekwondo practitioner Xiao Xiang-wen stands tall on the podium. He’s claimed Taiwan’s first gold at the Asian Para Games.

His journey to the gold medal match was remarkable, with him defeating every rival by a wide margin. Fighting in red in the final, Xiao used a rapid-fire offensive against Japan’s Mitsuya Tanaka. He won 27-11, scoring his first-ever Asian Para Games gold.

Xiao Xiang-wen
Taekwondo gold medalist
I’m elated. The Asian Para Games is such a major competition. As an athlete, I had never competed before on such a large scale. So I’m thrilled. It’s a dream come true. My next goal is to make it to the Paralympics.

Xiao has trained in taekwondo since he was a child. As a college senior, he had hoped to try out for Taiwan’s mainstream taekwondo team. But a traffic accident shattered his dream and left him with damaged nerves in his right arm. Initially, Xiao was devastated. But with the support of his family and girlfriend, he transitioned to coaching, before returning to the ring as a para-athlete. His perseverance paid off, sending him to a new career high. Throughout his journey, his coach Wu Yen-ni has been right there beside him.

Wu Yen-ni
Xiao Xiang-wen’s coach
Before the accident, his life was all about taekwondo. Overnight, he lost everything. He must have been devastated. So I’m very happy that he has had this opportunity. Very happy for him.

Wu herself is an Asian Games silver medalist, but she says seeing Xiao win brought even greater joy than her own medal. After battling through adversity, Xiao reached the top of a major competition. His next goal? Making it into the Paris Paralympics next year.

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亞帕運台灣首金跆拳道蕭翔文摘金圓夢

2023-10-24

杭州亞運結束之後，緊接著登場的是亞帕運賽事，台灣昨天也傳出拿下第一面金牌的捷報!跆拳道好手蕭翔文在K44男子58公斤級的決賽，擊敗日本好手摘下金牌。24歲的蕭翔文曾經因為一場車禍，導致右手臂神經叢斷裂，歷經人生低潮，但是他用跆拳道為自己圓夢，成為勵志的典範。

跆拳道亞帕運國手蕭翔文站上頒獎台，為台灣摘下本屆第一金。

蕭翔文出戰跆拳道K44男子58公斤級一路過關斬將，在金牌戰代表紅角面對日本好手田中光哉，靠著犀利攻勢，最終27比11勝出，風光進帳生涯第一面亞帕運金牌。

[[杭州亞帕運跆拳道金牌蕭翔文]]
“超級開心，而且這個是非常盛大的比賽，亞運，之前因為在當選手，還沒打過這麼大的舞台，所以非常開心，圓了一個夢，再下一個舞台就是朝奧運前進了”

蕭翔文從小練習跆拳道，大四那年的國手選拔，卻因為一場車禍，導致右手臂神經叢斷裂，讓他國手夢碎。起初蕭翔文意志消沉，後來在家人和女友的鼓勵下轉任教練，最後重拾道服出戰帕運賽場，不放棄的精神，讓蕭翔文攀上生涯高峰，而在追夢路上，一起征戰的恩師吳燕妮，同樣是奪金大功臣。

[[杭州亞帕運跆拳道教練吳燕妮]]
“他以前，人生就只有跆拳道，然後在一夕之間，什麼都沒了，他應該是很失落，所以有這個機會，我覺得很開心啦，很替他開心”

前亞運銀牌吳燕妮看著子弟兵奪牌，比自己拿牌還要開心。蕭翔文歷經人生最低潮，這一金讓他看見希望，下一步，有望登上巴黎帕運殿堂。

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