Sung Yu-chi, who won a bronze in taekwondo at the Beijing Olympics last month, and Yani Tseng, who won the LPGA Championship in the US in June, were named the best male and female athlete of the year respectively on Saturday.
In a ceremony held in Taipei, the two were presented with one medal each by Sports Affairs Council Chairwoman Tai Hsia-ling.
Sung’s father Sung Chin-hung, who was his coach at the Beijing Olympics, was named the best coach of the year by the Sports Affairs Council, which organized the 2008 Taiwan Sports Elite Awards.
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUN, TAIPEI TIMES
Chiang Hsiu-chen, a woman who has scaled six of the world’s highest mountains — including Mount Everest — was honored as the athlete with the most courage this year.
A lifetime achievement award went to Tsai Te-lung, a former president of the Taipei Physical Education College.
Four others were also named winners of the awards this year.
However, it was Su Li-wen, who refused to throw in the towel despite being knocked down 11 times in a female taekwondo bout at the Beijing Olympics, who stole the show at the ceremony.
That was because President Ma Ying-jeou, who was also present at the ceremony, presented her with a “special award,” a glass fish, which had been awarded by the president himself, rather than by the organizers.
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