Taiwan claims first gold in Rio

2016/08/09

Taiwan weightlifter Hsu Shu-ching earned the nation’s first gold medal of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro Aug. 7 by lifting a total of 212 kilograms in the women’s 53 kg event.

Three women archers competing for Taiwan also gained Olympic glory by winning bronze in the women’s team category, outperforming their Italian opponents 5-3. This is the first time Taiwan archers stood on the Olympic podium since the 2004 Olympics in Athens when the nation claimed a men’s team silver and a women’s team bronze.

The 25-year-old Hsu is no stranger to victory, having earned a silver in the same category at the London Olympics in 2012. Hsu expects that year’s silver to turn gold, however, as first-place winner Zulfiya Chinshanlo of Kazakhstan will likely be stripped of her medal over the results of a drug test that revealed the presence of performance-enhancing substances.

A total of 58 Taiwan athletes traveled to Rio for the Olympic Games by Aug. 5, and by Aug. 7 had already surpassed the nation’s performance at the London Games four years ago by winning one gold and one bronze. Before Rio, Taiwan had won a total of 2 gold, 7 silver and 12 bronze medals at Olympic Games.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=246835&ctNode=2194&mp=9)