It is almost unheard of.
Taiwanese men's taekwondo Olympic gold medalist Chu Mu-yen (朱木炎), who emerged only two years ago and earned the nickname "warlord of Taiwan" for his gruelling international taekwondo program, was yesterday extolled by a former International Taekwondo Association president as the most outstanding fighter in 30 years.
PHOTO: CNA
If there is a reason why Chu performed as excellently as he did on Thursday, then it is his indomitable character.
If one were to identify the greatest local sports personality of last year, it would almost certainly be Chu.
There was not a single national or international contest that he did not win. In the men's under 58kg category, Chu was almost unrivaled.
One international sports journalist said that in Chu we may see the image of martial arts legend Bruce Lee (
And, indeed, Chu came mighty close to achieving this, being pipped at the post by his female compatriot.
The tall and slender Chu had always been in the shadow of Huang Chih-hsiung (
But in 2002, he began to spread his wings.
At the Asian Games in Sapporo, he unexpectedly made it to the final, where he claimed a silver medal after defeat at the hands of the South Korean "master of the ring."
But Chu was not one to give in so easily, and he resolved to claim the title at the following year's championship.
To this end, Chu worked tirelessly for six months, constantly improving himself and upgrading his technique.
At last year's World Student Games, he defeated South Korea's top taekwondo athlete in the first round, paving the way for the defeat of each opponent and the wresting of gold from South Korean hands.
Next, at the year-end World Cup in Germany, an injured Chu showed no sign of fear as he overcame obstacles greater than those thrown up by the Olympics to take gold, prompting taekwondo masters of the world to see him in a new light.
Last December, Chu entered the fray at the Olympic qualifying heats in Paris. Nobody punctured Chu's drive; even the South Koreans withdrew from the under 58kg category.
Although almost all international media and Taiwanese experts forecast that Chu would defeat his opponents to bring back gold, Chu faced his toughest obstacle: failing to meet the expectations that were now being placed on him.
"When I saw my younger fellow student Chen Shih-hsin [
Chu said that the feeling of victory was the greatest experience, especially after defeating a gallant Egypt opponent in the semifinal.
"This victory was the crucial factor in realizing my gold medal dream," he said.
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