Taekwondo woman player Chen Shih Hsin, 26, clinched the first-ever Olympic gold medal for Chinese Taipei in Athens on August 26.
 
Chen burst into tears immediately when she beat Cuban athlete Yuliet Labrada 6-4 in the women's under 48kg final.

Chen, who placed first at the Asian Olympic qualifiers, tied 2- 2 with Labrada, the silver medalist of the 2003 Worlds in the first two-minute round.

The second round saw a more offensive Chen whose flash kicks earned three points for her against one for her opponent. The score was 5-3 in Chen's favor after the second round.

In the third round, both Chen and Labrada gained a point in the first 30 seconds. Then Chen kept the 6-4 advantage to the last second with her agile movements.

Liu Jingwen, coach of the Chinese Taipei taekwondo team, said that "we have set the target of at least one gold medal in Athens, Chen made it. I feel so great."

"This is the last time for me to coach the Olympic team. All of us worked very hard and we got the gold medal," Liu added.

Chu takes second Olympic gold for Chinese Taipei

Chu Mu Yen collected the second Olympic gold for Chinese Taipei in Athens on August 26, beating Mexican Francisco Salazar 5-1 in the men's 58kg taekwondo final.

The first-ever Olympic gold for Chinese Taipei came from Chen Shih Hsin through her victory in the women's under 49kg taekwondo final about ten minutes ago.

Chu, the gold medalist of the 2003 world championships, saw a goalless tie with Salazar, whose best result was the third place in the 1997 world championships, in the first round.

From the second round, Chu's accurate and flash kicks earned five points for him against one point for Salazar, who fought fiercely in the last minute, even using the flying kicks.

However, Chu won in the end.
 
(People's Daily  August 27, 2004)