Taiwan’s first Olympian kayaker, Chang Chu-han, yesterday won gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in the women’s single kayak (K1).
The sixth kayaker in a field of seven to take her turn down the rapids at Hangzhou’s Fuyang Water Sports Center, Chang took the lead with a time of 109.51 seconds, guaranteeing her a silver medal.
Li Lu of China, who posted the best time in the semi-final round, followed Chang, finishing in 108.22 seconds.
Photo: CNA
However, Li was assessed a two-second penalty, while Chang was the only one to complete her run with no penalties, giving the Taiwanese gold by 0.71 seconds.
“It was like a dream,” Chang said of her win. “I never thought I’d take first place, thinking that I’d only get into the top three. I had wanted to try my best to see if I could get second, so first place was truly a dream come true.”
Chang was the first Taiwanese to make it to the Olympics in kayaking or canoeing.
Photo: AFP
In other events, Taiwan’s Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin won bronze after losing their men’s doubles badminton semi-final to South Korea’s Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Won-ho 21-12, 21-10.
Taiwanese bridge teams won the mixed team gold and women’s team silver.
The mixed team defeated China 196-185.77 in the two-day, six-round final, while the women’s team were defeated by a 0.9-point margin, losing to China 213-212.1.
The bridge triumph was Taiwan’s 17th gold medal at this year’s Games.
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