An 18-year-old university student qualified for next year’s London Olympics in the long jump with a leap of 8.11m at a track and field competition in Taichung yesterday.
The jump by Lin Ching-hsuan of Fujen Catholic University met the 8.1m B standard for Olympic qualification set by the International Association of Athletics Federations last month, making him Taiwan’s first track and field athlete to qualify for the London Games.
“I’ve just given myself the best birthday gift,” said Lin, who will soon turn 19.
Athletes hoping to reach the Olympics must meet either an A or B standard in their particular event. No more than three athletes can represent a country in any particular event and at least one per country can qualify based on the less rigorous B standard.
The A standard in the long jump for men is 8.2m.
Lin became only the third Taiwanese athlete to break the 8m barrier and his distance of 8.11m was the third-best in the country’s history.
Nai Hui-fang holds the national record with a jump of 8.34m at the East Asian Games in Shanghai in 1993. The only other jump greater than Lin’s was an 8.16m effort by Chao Chih-kuo at the National College and University Games in 1995.
The 1.68m tall Lin’s previous best came at the Asian Youth Track and Field Championships last year, where he won gold with a jump of 7.94m.
Track and field is traditionally one of Taiwan’s weakest events in international sporting competitions. The country has not won an Olympic track and field medal since 1968, when Chi Cheng won a bronze medal in the 80m hurdles.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in