Tianjin: Taiwanese sprinter Chen Wen-pu made several achievements at the 12th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin, China, winning a silver medal in the men’s 60 meters and setting a new national record.

According to Focus Taiwan, Chen, 27, secured the medal with a 6.60-second sprint, finishing just 0.01 seconds behind Chinese sprinter Deng Xinrui, who claimed the gold with a time of 6.59 seconds. Chen’s performance was 0.02 seconds faster than Saudi Arabian runner Abdullah Mohammed Dawood, who took third place with a time of 6.62 seconds.

During the round heat earlier that day, Chen demonstrated his strong form, leading the pack in his 60m qualifier with a time of 6.61 seconds, marking his initial personal best at the championships. He maintained his lead in the semi-final heat with another 6.61-second sprint, qualifying for the final where he improved his personal best to 6.60 seconds.

In addition to the silver medal and personal best, Chen’s time set a new national record for Taiwan, surpassi
ng the previous 6.68-second record set by Cheng Hsin-fu in 1988 at an indoor athletic event in Osaka, Japan. This championship marked Chen’s return to the international stage after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury sustained at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. After a year of physical therapy, Chen made a significant comeback in October last year, recording 9.95 seconds in the men’s 100m final at Taiwan’s 114th National Games in Yunlin County.

Chen’s coach, Sun Nien-tsu, speaking with CNA, praised his performance, highlighting the challenge posed by champion Deng. Sun noted that despite Taiwan’s lack of training facilities for indoor sprints, Chen performed admirably, given the resources available to him. Chen began training at the Taiwan Sports Training Center last Sunday as part of the 2026 Asian Games training team. He aims to represent Taiwan at the event scheduled for Japan’s Aichi Prefecture between September and October this year.