Recently, the 2023 FISU World University Games in Chengdu, China, has just come to a close. In this competition, the Chinese Taipei team won a total of 10 gold, 17 silver, and 19 bronze medals. Four team members from the Department of Athletic Sports at National Cheng Chung University (CCU) gave their best-ever performance, winning one silver and two bronzes and setting a new record in CCU's history. Among the four student-athletes, Zong-Han Yang and Yu-Cheng Kou secured a silver in the men's team recurve archery event. Additionally, Yi-Hsuan Lo earned a bronze in the compound women's team archery competition and Shao-Hsuan Chiu clinched a bronze in the women's 62-kilogram taekwondo semifinal.

“I believe that we did really well in this competition,” noted Yu-Cheng Kou. While minor imperfections may go unnoticed during regular practices, they can become significant drawbacks when facing large-scale sports events, he then added. He also mentioned that despite winning a silver medal in the World University Games this time, they had not truly delivered their best performance due to the pressure of the competition. He is now focusing on cultivating a positive mindset to be prepared for the upcoming Bangkok 2023 Asian Archery Championships and the qualifying competitions for the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games, to seize another opportunity to bring glory to Taiwan.

As to Zong-Han Yang, regardless of the distraction posed by the tension and pressure of the competition, he said that he thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the event. Upon completing the game, it became clear that he still needs more practice in order to improve the flow and stability of his performance, as well as continuously working on refining his mindset, as stated by Yang. He is cheerful that they were able to secure a silver and will be looking forward to future qualifying competitions for the opportunities to represent Taiwan again on the international stage.

"It was an emotional experience to hear my name announced by the staff of FISU World University Games while standing on the stage,” said Shao-Hsuan Chiu. It was nerve-racking for her as this was her first time competing in an international competition like this and was concerned about not being able to perform in her best state. She mentioned that she had previously lost to the Czech contestant in the Austrian Open 2023 World Taekwondo Competition, and given the strong and tall physique of that contestant, Chiu confessed that she felt a lot of pressure facing her again in the match this time. However, by thoroughly analyzing the opponent's performance in advance and gaining insights into both the opponent's and her own strengths and weaknesses, she managed to overcome the pressure. And with all the preparation and encouragement from her coach, she successfully defeated the competitor.

According to Shao-Hsuan Chiu, she was first introduced to Taekwondo when her older sister attended a Taekwondo camp. Over time, Chiu became increasingly interested in Taekwondo and began going to a Dojang, the training center for Taekwondo, to join other people for practice. They practiced for at least three hours every day, thus, Chiu said with a wry smile that her Taekwondo journey is a journey of sweat and tears. Chiu's performance in Taekwondo wasn't particularly outstanding before entering university, she disclosed that it was her sister who achieved better at that time. The turning point came after she received advice and guidance from her university coach, resulting in a significant improvement in her performance.

CCU expressed immense pride for the outstanding and commendable performances of these students at the 2023 FISU World University Games in Chengdu. It is hoped that the athletes from CCU can continue to achieve excellent results, further showcasing Taiwan on the global stage.