Taipei, Nov. 11 (CNA) Taiwanese archer Lin Zih-siang (林子翔) clinched a place at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning gold at the Asian Continental Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday.
Lin, a student at National Taiwan Sport University, defeated India’s Bommadevara Dhiraj 6-5 in the final, having dispatched Bommadevara’s countryman Tarundeep Rai in the quarterfinals and Kwok Yin Chai (郭賢霽) of Hong Kong in the semis.
In the wake of winning the title, Lin noted the encouragement he had received in Bangkok from Tang Chih-chun (湯智鈞), his former junior high school classmate, who won silver at the 2023 Asian Archery Championships in the Thai capital on Thursday.
Lin said that he and Tang first competed abroad in the ninth grade in Turkey, adding “it’s now me clinching a ticket for Taiwan to the Olympics, which to some extent shows how we push each other to improve.”
“Earning a spot at the Olympics for Taiwan is just the beginning – I’ll work harder at the upcoming tryouts [so] I’m competitive come the Olympics in Paris,” Lin said.
Meanwhile, Liu Chan-ming (劉展明), Lin’s coach, said that he “has been working very hard, and finally succeeded this time.”
“I don’t think his success at this competition is random, but a result of his persistence,” Liu added.
