Taiwan athletes won gold in men’s badminton doubles, bronze in men’s skeet and bronze in women’s boxing at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin defeated their rivals from China with a high-octane 21-17, 18-21, 21-19 victory Aug. 4 in Paris. The gold is the first for Team Taiwan at the 2024 event, and the pair is also the first to successfully defend the title in Olympic history.
The duo had to win six matches to advance to the championship game. Including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, they have won 12 matches in a row on the world’s most important sporting stage.
Lee kissed the court after clinching match point to bid farewell to the sport, as he will retire and become an instructor to help promote badminton. Wang said he was trying to hold back tears on the podium after the feeling of the historic accomplishment sunk in. Unlike the last time, when they won in 2020 at an empty Tokyo stadium, the game in Paris was played in a full house and he really appreciated the crowd’s cheering.
President Lai Ching-te called Lin and Wang in person to offer his congratulation immediately after the match. In a post on his official Facebook account, Lai said the pair’s fighting spirit at their last Olympic appearance was truly inspiring and brought everyone in Taiwan together. Taiwan representative to France, Francois Wu, also forwarded a personal message from Lai to the pair.
The day before, sharpshooter Lee Meng-yuan won bronze in the men’s skeet event. This is the first medal of its kind in Taiwan’s Olympic history. Although boxer Wu Shih-yi lost to her Chinese opponent in the women’s 60kg semifinals the same day, she still won a bronze for Taiwan. (SFC-E)
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