Taiwan’s Wang Hsiao-chu (王筱筑) won a women’s figure skating gold medal in the roller sports competition at the Asian Games yesterday, while skaters won silver in the men’s and pairs events and a shot putter took the bronze on the final full day of competition in Guangzhou.
Chen Li-hsin (陳立昕), who teamed up with Weng Tzu-hsia (翁慈霞) to clinch silver in the pairs competition, revealed afterwards that he had been diagnosed with cancer on the eve of the Games.
Wang’s victory was Taiwan’s 13th gold of the Games.
Wang scored 247.2 points in the free skating long program to add to the narrow lead she held over China’s Dong Zhidou (董芝豆) after Thursday’s short program, in which she scored 79.6 points.
Her combined score of 326.8 edged Dong’s 322 to give her gold.
In the pairs event, Weng and Chen held a narrow 0.2 point lead over China’s Lin Yawen (林雅雯)and Tang Yunqin (唐雲親) after Thursday’s short program, but the Chinese pair outperformed them in the long free skating program to win the gold.
Chen, 27, will now head home for treatment.
“I learned about the cancer during a medical exam before the Asian Games and thanks to the Games I learned about it,” he said. “I need an operation, but will have it after this event.”
“My mother told me I should think about cancer in a positive way,” he said. “I always think that I must take part in events even when my physical condition is bad ... I will fight until the end of my life.”
In the men’s event, Taiwan’s Yeh Chia-chen (葉家成) won silver by finishing second in both the short and long programs. Shingo Nishiki of Japan beat Yeh by a combined 8.4 points to win the gold.
Chang Ming-huang (張銘煌) won a bronze medal in the men’s shot put, and the women’s softball team is also bringing home a bronze.
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