(Central News Agency reporter Li Jianzhong, Taipei, 7th) Lin Yu-tang, Taiwan's men's long jump national record holder, won gold at the New Taipei International Athletics Open today with a season-best jump of 7.89 meters. Additionally, men's high jumper Fu Zhao-xuan also secured the championship with a season-best 2.25 meters. Both are actively preparing for the Asian Games.

The "Penghu boy" Lin Yu-tang set a national record of 8.40 meters at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, but has since been plagued by recurring ankle injuries, making jumps over 8 meters rare.

Today's New Taipei International Athletics Open schedule was affected by heavy thunderstorms, reducing the long jump to 2 qualifying jumps and 2 final jumps. Lin Yu-tang's first two jumps were 7.11m and 7.24m, but he jumped 7.89m on his third attempt in the final to secure the gold medal.

In a post-competition interview, Lin said his previous two competitions had poor results, and due to his left ankle injury, he had not dared to fully exert himself on the takeoff for the past two months. "However, today's result proves that the treatment and rehabilitation methods during this period were correct," he said.

Lin, now 26, suffered a severe left ankle ligament tear during his freshman year of college, which even caused minor nerve damage. He has never undergone surgery, leading to an inconsistent recovery.

Lin mentioned that before jumping 7.89m today, there was a period when he doubted himself, wondering if his performance would continue to decline. "I hope to use training camps to learn from other coaches and find a training method that best suits me and allows me to coexist with the injury," he said.

In the men's high jump, Fu Zhao-xuan, who has already qualified for the Asian Games, secured the gold medal by clearing 2.25m. He then attempted to break the national record of 2.31m but failed on all three attempts.

Fu said, "At 2.25m, the rhythm of my last three steps wasn't great, but my takeoff leg had power. When I tried 2.31m, the rhythm was okay, but my takeoff leg felt weak and didn't have power. I need to go back and review to find out where the problem is." (Editor: Chen Renhua) 1150607

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  • Source: CNA (Central News Agency)
  • Category: Event