An 11-year-old Taiwanese on Sunday won a silver medal in the junior category at the Asian Skateboarding Championships in Sichuan, China.
Yeh Tzu-yang scored 128.34 points in the street competition final, landing his final run after two failed attempts to secure a podium finish.
Team coach Lin Ta-wei said that after Yeh failed his first two attempts, the 11-year-old was asked whether he wanted a third try for a medal.
Photo courtesy of Yeh Tzu-yang’s father via CNA
Yeh chose to go all in and landed a move he had never completed before, showing “nerves of steel,” and securing a silver medal, Lin said.
Yeh was recruited to the Taiwanese national team earlier this year, when he was skiing in Japan with his father, who said they received an unexpected call.
Yeh was learning to ski in Japan during winter, and skateboarding had gradually become part of his daily life, after a friend suggested that it could help improve his footwork and skills, his father said.
The call from the Taiwan skateboarding team was to ask if Yeh would like to compete in the Asian Championships in China, and he immediately agreed, his father said.
“Before the competition, we thought it would be great if he could at least reach the finals,” the father said, adding that Yeh had been away from skateboarding for some time, and the main priority was to avoid injury.
Skateboarding, which originated from street culture, has grown into a global sport in the past few years and has been included in three consecutive Olympic Games.
Greater government support and proper training facilities are needed to help develop the sport in Taiwan, Lin said.
The Asian Skateboarding Championships were held from Tuesday last week to Sunday, comprising park and street competitions for men, women and children.
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