Taiwan's women bowlers strike gold at Tokyo Deaflympics

台灣女子保齡球團體在東京聽障奧運會上奪得金牌

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwanese women’s bowling team claimed the country’s first gold medal at this year’s Deaflympics in Tokyo on Monday.

The team is composed of Chang Yao-chien (張堯茜), Wang Yu-chin (王玉琴), Lin Ya-chin (林雅琴), and Chen I-miao (陳怡妙). They secured the championship by defeating South Korea in straight games, 173-154 and 211-148, according to CNA and LTN sports.

Taiwan entered the competition as the top-seeded team after a strong preliminary performance. Despite tough matches in the semifinals against Ukraine, South Korea, and Germany, the team earned victories over Malaysia, Japan, the US, and Poland to reach the final.

Chang said the team’s mutual support and encouragement were key to boosting their confidence. Lin noted that the shared effort and camaraderie helped them handle the intensity of the team competition.

With Monday’s win, Taiwan’s overall medal count stands at one gold, five silver, and five bronze. The final day of the Deaflympics on Tuesday could bring more medals in badminton and bowling, particularly in team and mixed events, according to PTS.

The 25th Deaflympics, held from Nov. 15 to 27, is a multi-sport event for deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes held every four years. This year, more than 3,000 athletes from 81 nations are competing in 21 sports across over 200 medal events, according to the Olympics and Tokyo Deaflympics.