ASIAN GAMES/Taiwan bags first gold at 4th Asian Para Games with taekwondo win

Hangzhou, China, Oct. 23 (CNA) Taiwanese para-athlete Xiao Xiang-wen (蕭翔文) won Taiwan's first gold medal at the 4th Asian Para Games in China on Monday after winning the men's K44 (under 58 kilograms) taekwondo event.

Xiao defeated Japanese para-athlete Mitsuya Tanaka 27-11 in the finals of the event at the Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre in Hangzhou.

He reach the gold medal bout against Tanaka Monday after scoring a 35-5 victory over Korean taekwondo fighter Kim Tae-min in the event's quarterfinals and a 39-9 win over Sanjarbek Mukhtorov of Uzbekistan in the semifinals.

Though his wins were by pretty lopsided margins, Xiao still felt his nerves at his first Asian Games, saying he hyperventilated to the point that he almost felt like he was suffocating.

But because this was the first time taekwondo had been part of the Asian Para Games, Xiao said the win was particularly exhilarating given that it was Taiwan's first ever gold in the event.

The win was also special for Xiao's coach, Taiwanese taekwondo athlete Wu Yen-ni (吳燕妮), who bagged a silver medal for Taiwan at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar in the women's under-51 kg event because it fulfilled a gold medal dream for Wu.

The 24-year-old Xiao took a circuitous route to Taiwan's Asian Para Games team.

He originally wanted to try to make Taiwan's national taekwondo team, but two days before a scheduled tryout, he was involved in a traffic accident that left him with damaged nerves in his right arm.

He suffered a bout of depression after realizing that his dream was shattered, but his family, girlfriend and coach encouraged him to become a para-athlete and use another avenue to fulfill his goal of competing for Taiwan on the international stage.

Xiao thanked his family and girlfriend for supporting him on his journey and having his back along the way.

The 4th Asian Para Games are being held in Hangzhou from Oct. 22 to 28.

Following the tradition of the games since its creation in 2010, Hangzhou is the host city of the 2023 games as a result of its host city status for the latest Asian Games.