Taiwan's Chen Shih-hsin struck gold in taekwondo and the country's archers continued to hit the mark with two silver medals yesterday in Busan, South Korea, at the 14th Asian Games.
There was another silver medal -- which possibly should have been gold -- from Chu Mu-yen in the men's taekwondo under-54kg category, while Janet Lee and partner Lu Yen-hsun made it to the final of the mixed doubles in tennis.
After 11 days of full competition, Taiwan's medal tally was 38, with seven gold medals, 13 silvers and 18 bronzes, putting the nation in seventh place in the standings, just behind India and ahead of North Korea.
In the women's under-47kg class in taekwondo, Chen Shih-hsin managed to come out on top in a battle with Vietnam's Thi Huyen Dieu Nguyen to wrest Taiwan's first gold in the event.
Taking advantage of her height and displaying a fleetness of foot that was the difference between the pair, the 23-year-old from Taipei was teary-eyed after her relatively easy 4-1 victory.
The key match, however, was the semifinal round when she beat South Korea's Kang Ji-hyun in a bruising encounter 4-2. After two rounds the duo were about even but Chen gritted her teeth and overcame the Korean with a series of blows to the head and body.
Chen had said before the event the Asian Games was a "test" toward her goal of an Olympic gold medal in two year's time in Athens.
Chu Mu-yen's win in the men's competition came after surviving four fights. The final against South Korea's Park Hee-chul was always going to be an uphill battle with fanatical home-crowd support for Park.
In the third and final round Chu was ahead 6-4, but a late flurry from the Korean put the score up to 7-6 in his favor. Chu kicked back just before the end to tie the score 7-7.
It was the judge's opinion the Korean won despite the feeling articulated by Chu and Taiwan journalists present that Taiwan had won.
An understandably aggrieved and tearful Chu said afterward he was robbed. "I felt that I won but what can you do? It was the judge's decision."
In archery, Taiwan was on target yet again, with the men's team dueling it out with eventual winners South Korea and just being edged by three points (485-482) in the final round. Kazakhstan was third.
In the women's team event it was the same result but South Korea showed its dominance with a 30-point lead, winning 480-450 to take gold and leave silver to Taiwan.
In tennis, there was little Lu Yen-hsun could do to upset the in-form Paradorn Srichaphan from Thailand, whose march toward a men's singles triumph seems inevitable. Taking the first set without dropping a game, Srichaphan cruised in the second set to take it 6-4.
In the other men's singles match yesterday, Jimmy Wang never got going against Japan's Takao Suzuki and lost 6-1, 6-1.
In the women's doubles, Janet Lee and her partner Chuang Chia-jung made a game of it in the first set, forcing a tiebreaker, but lost out and then collapsed 6-2 in the second set.
The pairing of Hsieh Su-wei and Chan Chin-wei could do no better against Japan even though they pushed their rivals to three sets, eventually falling 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.
In the mixed doubles, Taiwan's only remaining hope of another medal, Janet Lee and Lu Yen-hsun were pushed all the way by India but ran out winners 7-6, 7-5.
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