Strong efforts in roller skating and boxing gave Taiwan two gold and two bronze medals yesterday at the Asian Games in Indonesia, while the women’s soccer team could not deliver a podium finish, losing to South Korea 4-0.
Taiwan gave outstanding performances in the roller skating 20km road race finals, coming out on top in both the men’s and women’s individual events.
First, Chao Tzu-cheng claimed gold in the men’s elimination race, crossing the finish line in 33 minutes, 51.418 seconds ahead of two South Korea skaters who were in close pursuit the entire way.
Photo: AFP
Lin Ping-hung was also among the leading pack, but finished out of the medals only 0.1 second behind the third-place finisher, South Korea’s Son Geun-seong.
In the women’s race, Li Meng-chu dashed to win the gold in 44 minutes, 50.929 seconds, edging China’s Guo Dan, who was behind by only 0.073 seconds.
Yang Ho-chen finished behind Guo to take the bronze medal in 44 minutes, 51.168 seconds.
Photo: Reuters
“It is great to win this gold. It will compensate as a gift for my father, as I was away in school on Father’s Day... I am in university now, and the course load is quite heavy, so I always get up very early for training then go to class,” Chao told reporters.
Li said she had inflammation in her left ankle before the Games, and even had problems wearing her skate on that foot, “but Taiwan’s medical team gave me emergency treatment and helped to make this gold medal happen.”
In the women’s boxing flyweight 51kg division, Lin Yu-ting lost 1-4 to Chang Yuan of China, and had to settle for the bronze medal.
“I am not satisfied, but I will continue to work and improve myself for future tournaments,” Lin Yu-ting said.
Lin Yu-ting said she was too careful in the first two rounds and lost some points, but became more aggressive in the third round.
“But it was too late and the result went against me,” she added.
In the women’s judo over-78kg division, Tsai Chia-wen failed to get into a medal round after losing to Wang Yan of China in the quarter-finals.
Wang finished the day with bronze, while Japan’s Akira Sone captured the gold and Lim Min-jeong of South Korea took silver.
Taiwan’s women hoped for a medal finish in soccer, but the prospect was dashed when they were thrashed by South Korea in the bronze medal match.
Taiwan were held to their half most of the game, while South Korea dominated possession.
Ji So-yun opened the account with a curving shot just inside the box in the 18th minute, then Lee Geum-min knocked in a header from a high cross in the 31st minute.
Lee Min-a netted a low shot in the 77th minute before Moon Mi-ra sealed the deal in the 90th minute with a long-range blast over Taiwan goalie Tsai Ming-jung.
In the title final, Japan seized the gold on Yuika Sugasawa’s late goal in injury time for a 1-0 triumph over China.
Elsewhere, Sarah Lee Wai Sze won the women’s sprint title for her second gold medal in Jakarta and her record fifth for Hong Kong at the Games.
While the Olympic medalist’s win fulfilled expectations for Hong Kong, Jai Angsuthasawit picked up an unexpected track cycling gold for Thailand to break a 48-year drought.
“I thought that the gold medal was not the most important, but the qualification time is really meaningful for me, because it’s almost an Asian record,” Lee said. “And also, I thought it’s also top three in the world, so I hope that I can really have some good races in the World Cup or in the World Championships.”
Angsuthasawit had never previously gotten close to a major title before winning the men’s keirin from former champions Yudia Nitta of Japan and Azizhulhasni Awang of Malaysia.
It was Thailand’s first gold in track cycling since it hosted the Games in 1970.
In men’s baseball, South Korea reached the final with a 10-1 win over China in the super round.
Koreans are to feature in some big finals today, with Tottenham forward Son Heung-min needing one last win over Japan to get an exemption from military service.
There will be nine South Koreans and three from the North on the Unified Korea women’s basketball team aiming for victory in today’s final.
That medal, be it gold or silver, will not be added to the tally for either nation, but instead will join the gold and two bronze medals already attained by Unified Korea in the three sports they entered.
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