Taiwan world No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying claimed the nation’s first-ever badminton gold at the Asian Games with victory in the women’s singles tournament Aug. 28 in Jakarta.
 
Tai defeated Pusarla V. Sindhu of India 21-13, 21-16 in the final with a powerhouse performance. The Taiwan star displayed her trademark lightning reflexes and surgical accuracy throughout the 34-minute encounter, opening the contest by winning five consecutive points and only falling behind once in the two sets.
 
In her postgame interview, Tai praised the hit standard of competition at the event. “I couldn’t afford to make any unforced errors because just one moment of distraction might have cost me the match,” she said.

Tai expressed hope that with more children starting to play badminton in Taiwan, her results will help ensure the next generation of players has access to greater resources.
 
Earlier the same day, Chou Tien-chen picked up silver in the men’s singles competition. The Taiwan athlete lost a nail-biting final 21-18, 20-22, 21-15 to hometown favorite Jonatan Christie.
 
As of Aug. 28, Taiwan’s medal tally at the games stood at 13 golds, 14 silvers and 20 bronzes, placing the country sixth in the national rankings. In addition to badminton, Taiwan athletes have finished top in archery, artistic gymnastics, canoeing, karate, shooting, taekwondo and weightlifting.
 
According to the Ministry of Education, Taiwan has dispatched 588 athletes across 40 disciplines to the Aug. 19 to Sept. 2 games, marking its largest-ever delegation to the quadrennial event. At the previous edition in Incheon, South Korea, the nation won a total of 51 medals, including 10 golds. (KWS-E)