Taiwan’s athletes continued to perform well at the Universiade in Shenzhen, mainland China, bagging four golds, two silvers and three bronzes Aug. 20 to 21.
Female golfer Lin Tzu-chi recorded a one-shot victory over her Czech Republic and South Korean rivals to claim Taiwan’s first gold in the sport at the annual meet. She followed up this solo success with a top-place finish in the team event, joining teammates Liu Yi-chen and Yao Hsuan-yu in posting a 22-shot victory over their mainland Chinese opponents.
Male tennis players Lee Hsin-han and Hsieh Cheng-peng outscored the Belarusian team to snare gold in the men’s doubles. Lee later teamed up with Chan Chin-wei, upsetting their Belarusian opponents to finish first in the mixed doubles final.
In basketball, the Cinderella run of Taiwan’s female hoopsters came to an end when the team lost their gold-medal game 101-66 to the U.S. This is the only medal Taiwan has ever won in the sport at an international tournament.
As of Aug. 23, Taiwan’s athletes had won five golds, five silvers and 11 bronzes, ranking the nation 11th among 152 teams.
In women’s badminton, Taiwan will win three more medals Aug. 22, with Cheng Shao-chieh and teammate Pai Hsiao-ma battling it out for top honors in the singles. The pair will team up to take on South Korea in the doubles final later in the day.
Taiwan’s men are also set to join the badminton medal haul, contesting finals in the doubles and mixed doubles against Thailand and South Korea, respectively.
Write to Meg Chang at meg.chang@mail.gio.gov.tw