Weightlifter Hsu Shu-ching won Taiwan’s first medal at the London Olympics by taking silver in the women’s 53-kilogram event July 29.
Hsu finished with 96 kg in the snatch and 123 kg in the clean and jerk for a combined lift of 219 kg, placing her second behind Kazakhstan’s Zulfiya Chinshanlo, who set an Olympic record with a combined lift of 226 kg. She also broke the clean and jerk world record with a lift of 131 kg.
Hsu, who won in her weight class at the 2012 Asian Weightlifting Championships, was billed by the international media as one of Taiwan’s hopes for a weightlifting medal heading into the London games.
Four weightlifters from Taiwan qualified for this year’s games. The country has won two silver and four bronze medals in the sport since the Los Angeles games in 1984, with athletes qualifying for each games since then.
ROC President Ma Ying-jeou sent a congratulatory message by telegram immediately after the silver medal performance, while Premier Sean C. Chen phoned to congratulate Hsu on her outstanding result.
Coach Tsai Wen-yee, who won Taiwan’s first weightlifting medal when he grabbed bronze in LA, said he hopes that Hsu can do even better at the 2016 Olympics by winning gold. (SB-THN)