The Chendu 2021 International University Sports Federation (FISU) World University Games is scheduled to take place in the summer of 2023, from July 28th to August 8th. Taiwan will have a total of 210 athletes participating, among whom, there will be three representatives from National Chung Cheng University (CCU) competing in the archery category. They are Zong-Han Yang, I-Ting Kuo, and Yi-Hsuan Lo from the Department of Athletic Sports at CCU. The FISU World University Archery Championship is set to begin on July 27th. These students from CCU who are going to compete in the archery category are all geared up and ready to achieve good results for Taiwan.

Zong-Han Yang began participating in the school archery team since junior high school, initially as casual practice. However, his interest grew over time, and after graduating from junior high, he made a firm decision to pursue archery. Upon the recommendation of his junior high school coach, he transferred to Hukou High School in Hsinchu to further his training. After entering university, he wanted to return to his hometown, Chiayi, for studies and discovered that CCU had good sports resources. As a result, he continued to persevere on the path of sports until the present day.

“When my performance has its ups and downs, my mood tends to fluctuate as well. At such times, I will engage in self-talk and encourage myself, with the belief that things will improve!” Zong-Han Yang mentioned that when he first joined the school archery team, he would worry about not being able to perform up to his potential and felt a sense of loss. He stated that now, through daily practice, he can gap the bridge between the performance in practice and actual games, which allows him to perform at his best during the real competition. As a first-time representative of the national team, he hopes to seize the opportunity to achieve a good ranking.

For I-Ting Kuo, a freshman, he has been involved in archery since elementary school, representing his school in archery competitions both during his primary and secondary education. He said, “building a strong foundation in archery is crucial at the beginning, and later on, it is also important to reflect on one’s progress in the field of archery each year.” He mentioned that the archery facilities at CCU are well-equipped and hopes that after completing his educational program, he can become a coach to teach students archery.

“It takes ten years to sharpen a sword, and the most crucial aspect lies in the process and what you learn during competitions,” I-Ting Kuo mentioned. Regarding the FISU World University Games, he expressed mixed feelings of nervousness and excitement. In terms of mindset, he emphasized that apart from enhancing his focus, it’s even more important to manage mood swings. He also noted that there have been quite a few mistakes in his recent training arrows, and he hopes to make some adjustments and achieve scores within the range of 9 to 10 point during the competition.

Additionally, in the women’s compound bow category, there is also a representative from CCU, Yi-Hsuan Lo. Initially, she started with table tennis, but later in junior high, she joined the archery club and gradually developed an interest, leading her to join the school team. In her senior year of high school, Lo once felt frustrated because her archery scores didn’t meet her ideal goals. It was only under the guidance of her senior teammates that she could continue on the path of archery. Lo said, “to be an archer, you must persist. No matter what difficulties you encounter along the way, you won’t know the outcome unless you give it a try.”

“Archery competitions is an open-and-shut case, which means that the outcome of the competition is clear and definite. A moment of hesitation or distraction can easily lead to defeat,” Lo said. Despite having experience from 2023 Asia Cup-World Ranking Tournament, Stage III and Shanghai Archery World Cup, participating in the FISU World University Games still brings mix feelings of excitement and fear. This is why she treats herself more rigorously. She hopes to reach the level of scoring above 350 points in her regular practice, combined with the strength of her powerful teammates, to achieve good results for Taiwan together.

Chien-Nan Liao, a full-time coach from the Department of Athletic Sport at CCU, who is also a coach for the Chinese Taipei Archery Team, mentioned that before the FISU World University Games, the athletes had already accumulated valuable experience from the 112th National Chairman Cup on Archery in Taiwan. After the competition, the representative athletes from CCU adjusted their training routines based on the competition experience. They are aiming to achieve a top-three position and bring home medals for Taiwan.