Taiwanese go ace and Asian Games gold medalist Hsu Hao-hung yesterday was named “Mr Popular” and the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the sport last year at an annual awards ceremony in Taipei.
In a public round, Hsu won 151 of 630 votes (32.5 percent) to narrowly defeat fellow 9-dan professional Hsiao Cheng-hao for the most popular player award.
He dominated the MVP race — voted on exclusively by professional players — with 57.9 percent of the vote, while Hsiao finished second with 15.8 percent of the vote.
Photo: CNA
“I actually felt a little bit of regret winning these awards, because I didn’t think my performance this [last] year was my best,” the 24-year-old Hsu said, noting a tendency to lose concentration during the later phases of matches.
Despite his self-criticism, Hsu remained the top earner in Taiwanese go for the seventh consecutive year.
He brought in NT$4,942,500 (US$156,433) in prize money last year, nearly NT$2 million more than Lai Jyun-fu, the next player on the money-winners list, even though he competed in only five of Taiwan’s eight major go tournaments, of which he won four.
Where he struggled last year was in pitting his skills against stronger opponents at World Cup events, and in top-league tournaments in China and South Korea.
That means that unlike the previous two years, when he almost always qualified directly for top-tier international tournaments, he has to compete in overseas qualifiers this year, Hsu told reporters.
However, he views that extra challenge as being a positive for him.
“The qualifiers feel less stressful and allow me to enjoy the competitive atmosphere more,” he said.
Meanwhile, 9-dan pro Wang Yuan-jyun was recognized for achieving the most victories in Taiwan last year with 53, just one more than Lai.
Cheng Yu-hao, a 13-year-old who turned professional in 2023, was voted Rookie of the Year by his peers.
Eligibility for the award was restricted to players who turned professional after 2021.
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