Category：Sports

Martial artist Chang Huan-yi bags silver in sanda at World Wushu Championships

Taiwanese martial artist Chang Huan-yi settled for silver at the World Wushu Championships, competing in the men’s sanda under-70 kilogram weight class. Chang entered the final with an injury and fell to his Vietnamese rival, 1-0.

Though Chang missed out on gold, his silver marked a milestone for Taiwan, ending a 12-year medal drought in the event. During the five-day World Wushu Championships, Taiwan bagged one gold, two silvers, and one bronze.

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2023-11-22

The son of a single-parent immigrant achieves success in sports

Growing up the child of a single-parent immigrant from Vietnam, Tsai Chia-hsing felt it was difficult to connect with others. Now Tsai is a sports prodigy who has won international competitions and received the Presidential Education Award. Tsai says he has been inspired by the help he’s received from his coach, and in the future he hopes to help other single-parent kids like himself.

Juggling sports and school can be an insurmountable challenge for a teen, but for Tsai Chia-hsing, sports are a source of strength. His team provides him with a sense of belonging he had long searched for.

Tsai Chia-hsing
Tennis player
In the beginning I had worried that as a child of a single parent, nobody would want to talk to me or pay attention to me. But finding tennis has really brought me out of my shell. Now I take the initiative in talking to others.

Tsai’s unwavering efforts at practice have earned him remarkable achievements in his sport.

In this room in Tsai’s home, the walls and shelves are lined with various plaques and medals from sports achievements–a large number of them won in 2023. Most notable among the achievements is a Presidential Education Award.

Tsai Chia-hsing
Tennis player
In the future I hope to take a cue from my coach, and help many other children of single parents, as well as those from disadvantaged families. I had this thought when I received the Presidential Education Award. I thought to myself, “This is the path you chose for yourself, so you have to carry this burden. Nobody is going to help you–only you can help yourself.”

Pan Yu-hsia
Tsai Chia-hsing’s mother
Don’t look back, just keep moving forward and working hard. God will have a path for you to follow.

Tsai’s mother knows that for her son, the road ahead may be painful, but that there’s no pain like the sting of regret. So she reminds her son to never look back or dwell on sadness. By always marching forward, she says, he’s certain to discover new paths.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

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2023-11-22

Hsieh Su-wei nominated for WTA’s ‘Comeback Player of the Year’ award

Tennis player Hsieh Su-wei has been nominated for the WTA’s “Comeback Player of the Year” award. After an 18-month break, she made a remarkable return to the court this year, capturing two Grand Slam titles. The 37-year-old started the season in an unranked position, but ended it as No. 6 in women’s doubles.

On social media, Hsieh shared her joy over the WTA nomination. She wrote that it was a surprise and an honor to be on the shortlist with such talented and hard-working players.

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2023-11-21

Taiwan beats Australia 6-0 for first win at Asia Professional Baseball Championships

Taiwan made its first win at the 2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championships in Tokyo, beating Australia 6-0 in extra innings. The victory comes after a painful defeat at the opening game against Japan, where they lost 0-4 against the home team.

The first nine innings of the game were scoreless. The breakthrough for Taiwan came at the top of the 10th thanks to Chen Chieh-hsien, who struck a two-run single. Later, with the bases loaded, Lin Ching-kai hit a grand slam, pushing the score to 6-0 and shutting down Australia. Taiwan’s next game is on Saturday evening against a formidable opponent: South Korea.

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2023-11-17

Taiwan wins 5 golds, 6 silvers, 6 bronzes at Lithuania lifting championships

Taiwanese lifters are dominating the 2023 World Open Equipped Powerlifting Championships in Lithuania. Over the last two days of competition, Team Taiwan won five golds, six silvers, and six bronze medals.

Competing in the 59 kilogram class, Lin Yi-chun won gold in the bench press by lifting 172.5 kilograms, before deadlifting an astonishing 249 kilograms. But he had to settle for silver when his compatriot Wu Chen-ting lifted the same weight, and was awarded gold due to a lighter body weight. Wu also won a bronze for the third-highest total in his class, while the second-highest total went to Lin. In the women’s 52 kilogram class, Su Yi-jie won gold in the squat event. Liu Mei-xiang claimed four bronzes across the events in the women’s 47 kilogram class.

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2023-11-15

Shuttlers Lee Jhe-huei, Yang Po-hsuan claim doubles gold at Korea Masters

Taiwan claimed gold and silver in men’s doubles at the BWF Korea Masters last Sunday. Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan played against their compatriots, Olympic gold medalists Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin.

Lee Jhe-huei and Yang won the match in straight sets, 21-17, 21-19. This was the pairing’s first title in a BWF Super Series event in four years and eight months.

2023-11-13

High-school boxer wins gold at first international championship

A high-school athlete from Taoyuan just won gold at her first major boxing championship. Shen Hsin-ai clinched gold in the 48-kilogram category at the ASCB Asian Junior Boxing Championships. She began boxing in fourth grade, after getting curious about a gym that opened near her home. She also practices mixed martial arts and badminton, broadening her skills. Her school is supporting her career, with the hope that she might become an Olympian.

Two boxers circle the ring and trade blows. Taiwan’s Shen Hsin-ai fell to the ground at one point, but got straight back up. When the bell rang, neither had been KO’d, so the judges had to announce the winner.

The five judges gave it to Shen, after a suspenseful 3-2 fight against a formidable rival from the host Kazakhstan. Shen took gold in the women’s 48-kilogram category, Taiwan’s first-ever gold at the ASBC Asian Junior Boxing Championships.

Shen Hsin-ai
Asian Junior Boxing Championships gold medalist
The match wasn’t too tough. But sometimes she hit my belly and I had to dodge, otherwise it kind of hurt.

Shen, a first year in the sports class at Zhishan Senior High in Taoyuan, is a native of Daxi District. She started mixed martial arts and boxing in the fourth grade, as well as badminton. Boxing training can be painful, but she’s never wanted to quit. Now she’s triumphed at her first international championship.

Shen Hsin-ai
Asian Junior Boxing Championships gold medalist
A coach opened a boxing gym near my home. When I passed by I wanted to go in and try it, and I kept training until I got results.

Chen Yen-cheng
Zhishan Senior High vice principal
We’re putting together the maximum scholarships we can, and nutritional subsidies, for the student, so that she doesn’t need to worry about family finances while she trains for contests. We hope to see her compete at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Shen’s school is planning a scholarship to support her budding career, with the hope that she might be on the podium in L.A. in 2028.Thanks to her badminton training, the slight Shen is extremely quick. With her first major gold under her belt, she’s facing the future fearlessly.

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2023-11-09

Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju prevails over China’s Ma Long at WTT Champions Frankfurt

Taiwan table tennis star Lin Yun-ju has nabbed his second championship title of the year. At the WTT Champions Frankfurt final, Lin went head-to-head against the greatest in the sport, China’s Ma Long. After losing the first game, Lin made a stunning comeback, winning four back-to-back games to secure the gold. This is Lin’s first-ever title at a Champions competition.

It’s the final at the WTT Champions Frankfurt. World No. 12 Lin Yun-ju from Taiwan faces off against World No. 3 Ma Long from China. The first two sets both ended at 11-7, with one win for Ma and one for Lin. The following games were fiercely contested, each going to deuce.

Lin got some help from a net ball in the third set. Ma rolled onto the ground to return it, but Lin seized the moment with an easy smash that leveled the score 7-7. He rode the momentum to win the set 13-11, moving into a 2-1 lead. He hit his stride in the fourth set, reaching game point first once again.

Lin claimed the fourth set 12-10, putting the pressure on his frustrated rival. In the fifth set, Lin capitalized on Ma’s errors to win again, 12-10. And with that fourth consecutive victory, Lin defeated the mighty Ma 4-1, nabbing his second championship title of the year and first career win at a Champions event. Lin said he could barely believe his own performance, and especially his victory over Ma.

Lin Yun-ju
Table tennis player
First of all, I am extremely happy to have won the competition. As for my match against Ma, I approached it as a challenge. He is the greatest player in the world, so I went into it thinking I should not hold back, and fight. It’s unbelievable. I never thought I’d win.

In the women’s singles final, it was China vs. China. On one side was World No. 5 Wang Yidi, fresh off beating her compatriot Sun Yingsha in the semifinals. In the gold medal match, she defeated World No. 3 Wang Manyu in four straight games to win the first Champions title of her career.

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2023-11-06

Chou Tien-chen captures fourth Hylo Open title

Taiwanese shuttler Chou Tien-chen has claimed his first championship of the year, ending a 15-month title drought. Chou defeated Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu in the men’s singles final at Germany’s Hylo Open. The match lasted just over an hour, with Chou winning 2-1. This was the fourth Hylo title of his career.

Over in the men’s doubles final, Taiwan’s Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin faced China’s Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi . Lee and Wang fell, 24-22, 21-13, missing out on their second championship of the season.

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2023-11-06

3000 runners take part in Gaillardia Island Penghu Cross-Sea Marathon

Gaillardia Island Penghu Cross-Sea Marathon was held Sunday morning in the outlying archipelago. More than 3,000 runners, including 49 foreign athletes from 12 countries, participated in the island-hopping run.

A major feature of the marathon was the water stations. More than offering water, the pit stops handed out seafood to the runners, including local favorites like cuttlefish balls and cactus juice, as well as the most anticipated crabs and lobsters. Along the course of the race, participants got to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Penghu, and there was even a bazaar with 30 food and souvenir stalls. With the hearty cheers of locals along the course, the marathon runners could truly feel the warm hospitality of Penghu.

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2023-11-05