Gymnast Lee Chih-kai and badminton star Tai Tzu-ying were named best male and best female athlete, respectively, at the Sports Elite Awards organized by the Ministry of Education’s Sports Administration Dec. 12 in Taipei City.
Over the past year, Lee has claimed three gold medals in the pommel horse at international competitions, including Taiwan’s first-ever gymnastics triumph at the Asian Games in Indonesia. World No. 1 Tai has bagged 10 tournament wins since she secured the women’s singles title at the Yonex French Open in October 2017.
At the awards ceremony, Vice President Chen Chien-jen said 2018 has been a successful year for Taiwan’s sportspeople with a total of 377 athletes winning medals at international events including the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. All those honored are role models and serve as an inspiration for aspiring athletes, he added.
Lee’s trainer, Lin Yu-hsin, won best coach, while Tang Chia-hung, another of Lin’s students, took home the best sportsmanship award. Taiwan’s mixed shooting side in the 10-meter air rifle category at this year’s Asian Games picked up best sports team.
Kuo Chung-hsing claimed the lifetime contribution prize for promoting shooting sports in Taiwan for four decades, while Kuo Sheng, who has led the tug of war team at Taipei Jingmei Girls High School to triumph at a string of international events, received a special recognition award.
The final honor went to junior tennis player Tseng Chun-hsin, who bagged best newcomer. He was named 2018 boys’ world champion Dec. 10 by London-based International Tennis Federation.
The annual awards, now in their 20th year, celebrate outstanding performances by local athletes in competitions at home and abroad as well as those who have made significant contributions to spurring the country’s sports environment. (CPY-E)
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