Taiwan’s Ren Chun-ying on Sunday recorded a personal best to bag a gold medal in the women’s pole vault at the Thailand Open Track & Field Championships.
Ren emerged victorious from among eight competitors in her international debut by clearing 4.13m in her second attempt in the final. Her personal best had been 4.1m.
It was the second-best pole vault by a Taiwanese woman in track and field history. The national record is 4.2m, set by Wu Chia-ju in 2018 at the same event in Thailand.
Photo: the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association via CNA
The result came as a surprise to the 23-year-old Ren, who said she felt nervous and had not imagined breaking her own record, not to mention winning a gold medal.
“But I told myself to focus on showcasing what I’ve done in training and let it be,” she said.
Tsai Chien-ming, the head coach of Taiwan’s team competing in the B-class competition in Thailand, praised the pole vault prospect for giving it her best amid many challenges, such as the windy, humid weather, a schedule change and the pressure of competition.
Ren first cleared 4m in 2021, after which she started training at the National Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung.
She said she had developed better skills and run faster thanks to the training over the last three years, enabling her to compete with a heavier pole.
She said she is going to focus on the National Games in October and is looking to clear 4.2m to qualify for next year’s Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan.
In addition to Jen, Chen Yi-chu also won a gold medal in men’s shot put with a 17.32m throw, while Liu Chih-jen secured a bronze in the women’s discus throw.
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