Premier Lin Chuan today sent a congratulatory telegram to weightlifter Hsu Shu-ching and the women's archery team from Taiwan for snatching the nation's first medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The premier said the athletes' outstanding performances made the country proud. He also thanked their trainers and rallied other Taiwanese competitors in Rio to bring home more medals.
Hsu, competing in the women's 53-kilogram category, lifted 100 kilograms in the snatch and 112 kilograms in the clean and jerk event, beating Filipino and South Korean rivals to win Taiwan's first gold medal of 2016. For her feat, Hsu will be awarded a scholarship of NT$20 million (US$623,000) by the Sports Administration in accordance with the Ministry of Education's (MOE) Regulations Governing the Issuance of Guo Guang Athletic Medals and Scholarships.
The women's archery team, consisting of Tan Ya-ting, Le Chien-ying and Lin Shih-chia, defeated Mexico 5-1 in the quarterfinal round before losing to South Korea 1-5 in the semifinals to qualify for the third-place playoffs. There, Taiwan defeated the formidable Italian team 5-3 to capture the bronze. Under the MOE scholarship mechanism, each athlete will be awarded NT$5 million (US$156,000).
The Sports Administration said Taiwan has bagged one gold and one bronze so far, good for No. 9 in the overall medal standings.