Members of Team Taiwan show off their badminton mixed doubles gold and silver medals during the Universiade Aug. 7 in Chengdu. (Courtesy of SA)
 

Team Taiwan won 10 gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze medals at the delayed 2021 Summer World University Games that wrapped up Aug. 8 in the Chinese city of Chengdu, marking the second-best results on record.

According to the Ministry of Education, the national team’s medal count surpassed the nine golds, 13 silvers and 10 bronzes received in the 2019 edition of the biennial event. Taiwan first participated in 1987 and this year’s medal tally is the second best since then. The record medal haul was at the 2017 games held in Taipei, where Team Taiwan took home 26 golds, 34 silvers and 30 bronzes.

Cheng Shih-chung, director-general of the MOE’s Sports Administration, attributed the strong showing to the elite athletes’ committed training and determination. Cheng thanked team members and encouraged them to keep pursuing athletic excellence and shine in future competitions.

Among medalists, Peng Ming-Yang won the first gold for Taiwan in men’s 400m hurdles, Olympic silver medalist Lee Chih-kai took a 3rd successive Universiade gold in men’s pommel horse, Lee Chia-hsin and her partner Ye Hong-wei won gold in badminton mixed doubles, while Wu Fang-hsien and her partner Hsu Yu-hsiou took gold in tennis mixed doubles.

Team Taiwan also won golds in women’s teams, men’s teams, women’s doubles and men’s doubles in tennis, as well as badminton mixed teams and men’s Tai Chi Chuan.

The national team’s other medals were won in archery, artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, badminton, Judo, table tennis, tennis, track and field, shooting, swimming, Taekwondo and Wushu. (SFC-E)