Chengdu: Taiwan’s powerlifter Chiang Kai-chieh clinched a gold medal in the men’s equipped middleweight category at the World Games held in Chengdu, China. Chiang achieved this feat with a 342.5-kilogram deadlift on his final attempt, surpassing two Ukrainian competitors.

According to Focus Taiwan, the 36-year-old athlete has been a long-standing representative of Taiwan in international powerlifting events. Notably, Chiang gained attention at the World Powerlifting Championships last year by securing a silver medal, which earned him a spot at the Chengdu World Games.

During the men’s equipped middleweight final, Chiang initially stood in fifth place after lifting 352.5 kilograms in the squat and 227.5 kilograms in the bench press. In the decisive deadlift segment, he successfully lifted 315.0 kilograms and 327.5 kilograms, which positioned him for a medal. On his third attempt, Chiang aimed for gold with a lift of 342.5 kilograms, achieving a final score of 107.54 points. This performance edged out Ukrainian powerlifters Vitalii Kolomiiets and Mykola Barannik, securing the gold for Taiwan.

Kolomiiets, despite lifting more total weight than Chiang, lost the gold medal due to weighing 0.6 kg more than the Taiwanese competitor. In the women’s equipped middleweight category, Taiwan’s Huang Yen-tzu finished in fourth place with 108.86 points after an unsuccessful last deadlift attempt of 215 kg. Fellow Taiwanese powerlifter Hsiu-ching secured seventh place with 102.07 points.

Taiwan’s athletes have amassed a total of three gold, five silver, and four bronze medals at the Chengdu Games, placing the country 22nd among 76 participating nations. Powerlifters Tien Chi-sen and Yang Sen are set to compete in the men’s super heavyweight event on Sunday.