Taipei hosts 112th “Sports Elite Award” ceremony

[The Epoch Times, December 25, 2023](The Epoch Times reporter Dai Deman reported in Taipei, Taiwan) The 112th “Sports Elite Award” ceremony was held on the 25th. The Best Male Athlete Award was won by judo player Yang Yongwei, becoming the first in history The male athlete won the third consecutive championship, and the best female athlete award was won by judo player Lien Zhenling. The Lifetime Achievement Award winner is basketball promoter Liu Jinchi, and the Special Award winner is Asian Games Go gold medalist Xu Haohong.

In addition, the Best Coach Award was won by coach Zeng Ziqiang, the Best Sports Team Award winner was the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games Men’s Basketball 3X3 Team, the Best Sportsmanship Award winner was Gu Xiaoshuang, and the Best Rookie Athlete Award was awarded to Xie Yuankai.

Executive Dean Chen Jianren said in his speech that the contestants are the light of Taiwan and are role models for young Taiwanese friends and children to empathize with others. He took Xu Haohong as an example, “After you won the gold medal, all the children from our neighborhood came to our house to make noise.” I wanted to play Go with me, but unfortunately I only wanted to play backgammon.”

Chen Jianren said that in the face of international sports experts, domestic players are full of courage and confidence, and continue to set new records with the sportsman spirit of never giving up. “Taiwan is already a sports powerhouse. The players’ tenacity and excellent team spirit have moved the Chinese people countless times.” “The government is also deeply grateful to these athletes. If the budget for the Guoguang bonus is not enough, the government will definitely continue to increase the amount.”

The 22-year-old Xu Haohong was promoted to professional ninth-dan in December last year and won 8 domestic Go championships. He is the number one player in the Taiwanese Go world. This year, he has defeated two South Korean players in the top 8 and top 4 from the world ranking 35, respectively. It was Park Ting-hwan ranked 2nd in the world, 9th-dan, and Shin Jin-suk, ranked 1st in the world, 9th-dan; the gold medal match was a fierce battle with Chinese chess champion Ke Jie, ranked 3rd in the world. Although Xu Haohong was at a disadvantage for a while, he reversed the situation and won the victory in the official stage. , defeating the top three chess players in the world in a row, Xu Haohong suddenly became a man of the hour in the Asian chess world.

Xu Haohong said in an interview, “It is a rare thing for Go to enter the Asian Games. This year, the Asian Games also entered a long period of substantial training. I am very grateful to the Sports Department, the National Training Center, and the support and help of friends and family, which allowed me to concentrate on preparing for the competition. “He also emphasized that Go is a very interesting sport and he hopes that everyone can learn Go together. This year is “a year to remember!”

Yang Yongwei, the 2022 Asian Games judo gold medalist, won the best male athlete, becoming the first male athlete in history to win this honor for three consecutive years. When interviewed, Yang Yongwei said, “It’s really a surprising year.” He won this award again this year. It was beyond his imagination. “Every contestant is really powerful and hardworking. Everyone has different fields to face.” difficulties, challenges and setbacks.”

He said that he encountered a low point in the first half of the year and sometimes doubted himself. Is the current direction correct? Until he saw an encouraging sentence on IG, “The best way to solve anxiety is to just do it.” He suddenly became enlightened and believed that the current direction was right.

Yang Yongwei said that he was very grateful to his family for accompanying him to find the problem, and also to his coaching staff, who have done more than anything else. He also wanted to help and encourage his teachers. 2024 is just around the corner, and he will continue to work hard.

Coach Zeng Ziqiang, who led women’s boxer Lin Yuting to win the gold medal at this year’s Hangzhou Asian Games, finally won the Best Coach Award after being shortlisted for the third time. Zeng Ziqiang said that this award is really difficult to win, but the responsibility will be greater in the future and he must continue to improve his performance. He said that what fascinates people about sports is that if you want to stand on the top stage, it doesn’t just happen in a few words or overnight, you have to keep working hard.

Zeng Ziqiang said emotionally during an interview, “Breakthrough is the idea and goal that everyone desires and pursues before success. But when you stand here, you feel a little lonely. How to keep your achievements moving forward? This requires accepting responsibilities and there must be pressure.” He said with a smile, “I quite like to enjoy the pressure, and I also feel that I should accept some responsibilities so that boxing in Taiwan can make a breakthrough.”

Editor in charge: Zheng Hua

2023-12-25 14:19:11
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