Heptathlete Chen Cai-juan on Friday ended Taiwan’s nearly three-decade medal drought in the heptathlon at the Asian Athletics Championships by finishing third in Gumi, South Korea.
Chen secured the bronze after clocking 2 minutes, 28.25 seconds in the 800m at Gumi Stadium, earning 715 points in the final event for a total score of 5,608.
She finished behind India’s Nandini Agasara (5,941 points) and China’s Liu Jingyi, who scored 5,869 points.
Photo courtesy of the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association, via CNA
Taiwan’s last medal in the heptathlon at the biennial multi-event competition was won in 1998 when Ma Chun-ping took a bronze in Fukuoka, Japan.
“I kept dreaming of winning a medal coming into this competition. Now that the dream has come true, I’m so, so excited,” Chen said after the meet.
At this year’s National Intercollegiate Athletic Games, Chen broke Ma’s long-standing national record with a total score of 5,701, earning her a fifth straight heptathlon title.
Although she has dominated domestically, Chen admitted she had struggled at international meets, saying that her biggest improvement this time was maintaining confidence.
“I think what I did best this time was my mindset. Even in the events I’m not good at, I told myself I’m strong and can compete with others as long as I step onto the track and field,” Chen said.
She dedicated the bronze medal to her coach, Yang Ching-lung, who she has trained with at the National Sports Training Center for two years.
“I’ve never seen him smile once. I hope he will smile this time,” she joked.
Taiwan’s other heptathlete at the meet, 18-year-old Lin Pei-hsuan, finished seventh among nine competitors, with 4,747 points.
The Asian Athletics Championships, a biennial event organized by the Asian Athletics Association, took place from May 27 to yesterday in Gumi, South Korea.
In all, Taiwanese athletes won one silver and four bronze medals at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships.
Taiwan ranked 14th overall by medal count.
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