Taiwan takes gold, bronze at Japanese Karate tournament

Taiwanese athletes won gold and bronze medals on Friday on the opening day of the 2006 Karate World Championship in Tokyo, Japan.

Lin Sheng-jie (林聖杰), a senior at Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School, grabbed gold in the 16-17 year old boy's event, while Chen Li-bong (陳立邦) placed third in the 12-13-year-old boy's event to take home the bronze medal after going to a second round against his Japanese opponent.

Meanwhile, in the 40-44 year old women's event, Yao Li (姚麗) placed fourth to finish with an honorable mention.

Li, now a teacher in Neihu, had not competed internationally since 1990. She is now preparing for the next world championships three years from now.

Several other Taiwanese athletes were competing for medals yesterday, the second day of the karate world championship.