Taiwan yesterday bagged three golds at the Chengdu World University Games in China, lifting the nation’s gold count to six.
Gymnast Lee Chih-kai (李智凱) took gold in the men’s pommel horse for the third time in a row, while compatriot Hsiao Yu-jan (蕭佑然) claimed bronze.
Lee, a 27-year-old Olympic medalist, scored 15.500 at the Dongan Lake Sports Park Multi-purpose Gymnasium, while Nariman Kurbanov (15.266) of Kazakhstan was second. Hsiao scored 14.933.
Photo courtesy of Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation
Lee on Friday dropped out of the men’s individual all-around event to preserve energy for the pommel horse and horizontal bar events yesterday. The horizontal bar final was ongoing at press time last night.
It was Lee’s third gold at this year’s event and Taiwan’s fourth in artistic gymnastics.
Lee’s coach Lin Yu-hsin (林育信) said that it “was definitely a world-class performance.”
Photo courtesy of Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation
He was initially given a score of 15.400, but the judges had failed to notice a difficult move he completed, so it was increased to 15.500 after Lin and Lee informed them.
Tennis players Liang En-shuo (梁恩碩) and Wu Fang-hsien (吳芳嫺) took gold in the women’s doubles, beating China’s Guo Hanyu (郭涵煜) and Jiang Xinyu (蔣欣玗) 7-5, 6-4.
The Taiwanese pair faced an uphill challenge in the first set after losing the first five games.
Photo courtesy of Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation
However, they turned the match around by winning the next seven.
Liang and Wu claimed Taiwan’s fifth gold of the Games and the second medal in tennis after 1 hour, 21 minutes on the court.
The Taiwanese pair guaranteed their place in the final by beating Kimberly Hance and Elise Wagel of the US 6-2, 6-2 in the semi-finals on Friday.
Photo courtesy of Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation
Earlier yesterday, 22-year-old Liang took on Guo in the women’s singles semi-finals, but lost 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 to claim bronze. In the second semi, Yang Ya-yi (楊亞依) beat France’s Alice Robbe 6-2, 6-3 to reach the final against Guo, which is to be played today.
Hsu Yu-hsiou (許育修) and Huang Tsung-hao (黃琮豪) won gold in the men’s doubles, defeating Jan Jermar and Victor Sklenka of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3.
Taiwan were seventh on the medals table at press time, with six golds, 14 silvers and 15 bronzes.
There are 210 Taiwanese athletes competing in 16 sports at the 31st Summer University Games, which ends on Tuesday.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday said that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival-threatening situation," Takaichi was quoted as saying in the report. Under Japan’s security legislation,
RSS