Gumi: Heptathlete Chen Cai-juan has ended Taiwan’s nearly three-decade medal drought in the heptathlon at the Asian Athletics Championships by finishing third in Gumi, South Korea. Chen secured the bronze after clocking 2 minutes 28.25 seconds in the 800 meters at Gumi Stadium, earning 715 points in the final event for a total score of 5,608.

According to Focus Taiwan, Chen finished behind India’s Nandini Agasara, who amassed 5,941 points, and China’s Liu Jingyi, who scored 5,869 points. Taiwan’s last medal in the biennial multi-event competition was won in 1998 when Ma Chun-ping took a bronze in Fukuoka, Japan.

“I kept dreaming of winning a medal coming into this competition. Now that the dream has come true, I’m so, so excited,” Chen said after the meet. At the 2024 National Intercollegiate Athletic Games, Chen broke Ma’s long-standing national record with a total score of 5,701, earning her a fifth straight heptathlon title.

Although she has dominated domestically, Chen admitted she had struggled at international meets in the past, stating that her biggest improvement this time was maintaining confidence. “I think what I did best this time was my mindset. Even in the events I’m not good at, I told myself I’m strong and can compete with others as long as I step onto the track and field,” Chen said.

She dedicated the bronze medal to her coach, Yang Ching-lung, whom she has trained with at the National Sports Training Center for two years. “I’ve never seen him smile once. I hope he will smile this time,” she joked.

Taiwan’s other heptathlete at the meet, 18-year-old Lin Pei-hsuan, finished seventh among nine competitors, with 4,747 points.