Taiwan yesterday claimed gold in the Taipei Summer Universiade men’s 100m sprint, while archers picked up three silvers and there was a bronze in taekwondo.
Yang Chun-han (楊俊瀚) won the gold medal in the 100m final at the Taipei Municipal Stadium with a time of 10.22 seconds, coming off a national record in the semi-finals of 10.20 seconds that marked him as a favorite in the decider at 8:40pm.
Thando Roto of South Africa took silver 0.02 seconds behind, while Cameron Burrell of the US claimed bronze in 10.27 seconds.
Photo: CNA
Yang set the previous mark for Taiwan’s best time over the distance in May.
It was the final day of archery at the Universiade, and Taiwanese were on target, advancing into the medals rounds, but were second best when facing archrivals South Korea.
Tan Ya-ting (譚雅婷), Taiwan’s top female archer, faltered in a showdown against Kang Chae-young in the gold-medal match in women’s recurve individual.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
Kang won 7-4 at the National Taiwan Sport University Stadium in Taoyuan.
In the team finals, there was a recurring theme of South Korean dominance over Taiwan.
In the men’s recurve team final, Taiwan’s Wei Chun-heng (魏均珩), Deng Yu-cheng (鄧宇成) and Peng Shih-chen (彭士誠) shot 56, 54, and 55 respectively in three sets for a total of 165, but South Korea scored 58, 59 and 58 for a 175 total, winning 6-0.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
In the third-place match, Russia took bronze after a 5-1 win over Kazakhstan.
In the women’s recurve team final, Russia defeated Italy 6-0 for bronze, while Taiwan’s Tan, Lei Chien-ying (雷千瑩) and Peng Chia-mao (彭家楙) faced South Korea in the gold-medal match.
Local fans witnessed a thrilling showdown, as the match was tied after three sets and went to 4-4 in the fourth.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
A shoot-off was required, in which Taiwan scored nine, 10 and nine points.
However, South Korea were even better, scoring three 10s to capture gold.
Lei missed out on bronze when Alejandra Valencia of Mexico beat her 6-0 in the women’s recurve individual third-place match.
It was South Korea again in the men’s recurve individual final, with Lee Seung-yun taking home the gold with a 6-0 win over Arsalan Baldanov of Russia.
In the mixed recurve team final, South Korea prevailed over France 5-4.
Head coach Ni Ta-chih (倪大智) praised Taiwan’s archers, saying: “Even though we did not win golds, they have shown their capability and determination to fight to the finish.”
“I give my team a score of 100 for their performance today,” Ni said.
“We feel our team is as good as South Korea,” Tan said. “We have regrets about not seizing our chance to win gold today; we still have room for improvement.”
“This was our first international archery competition at home and although we were a bit nervous, we gave it our best,” Peng Chia-mao said. “During the matches, the three of us [in the women’s recurve team] consulted each other to make adjustments. I think we can be satisfied with the results.”
Yang Tsung-yeh (楊宗燁) added to the nation’s medal tally with taekwondo bronze in the 74kg category.
Yang defeated Alejandro Cuero of Colombia 38-13 first up to get into the round of 16, where he overcame John Asp of Norway 14-10.
In the final eight, Yang scored two points in an extra round against Toni Kanaet of Croatia to advance into the semi-finals.
However, Yang could not get past Scott Ishida of the US, who defeated him 12-6.
“Most of the opponents today were taller than me, so I could not stay back and defend,” Yang said. “I had to take the initiative and attack with different kicks to score points.”
“The audience was cheering really loud for me, so that pushed me to fight on and get a good result,” he said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,