'Taekwondo Sweetheart' Wang Jieling Wins Gold at Asian Championships, Boosted by Coach's Encouragement

(CNA, Taipei, May 21) Taiwan's "Taekwondo Sweetheart" Wang Jieling won the gold medal in the women's 46kg category at the Asian Championships today, not only breaking her "Asia" tournament jinx but also securing the first gold for the women's team in a decade. Heartfelt encouragement from her coach, Chu Chien-an, before the match proved to be a significant boost. At the Asian Taekwondo Championships held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the 17-year-old rising taekwondo star Wang Jieling faced the biggest stage of her career with immense pressure. Unexpectedly, she overcame obstacles step by step, defeating teammate Huang Ying-hsuan and South Korea's Lee Yoo-min, before triumphing 2-0 over Thailand's Patcharakan Poolkerd in the gold medal match. She became the first female athlete to dominate the Asian Championships since Chuang Chia-chia and Lin I-ching in 2016. The moment Wang Jieling secured the gold, her coach Chu Chien-an, who was guiding her from the sidelines, was incredibly moved and satisfied with his protégé's performance. In an interview with CNA, he stated that Wang had only just moved up to the senior division this season, making this Asian Championships a case of "punching above her weight." With a spot in the Nagoya Asian Games also at stake, she was under great pressure. As her coach, Chu could only repeatedly reassure her to "go out there happy and enjoy the competition." Chu noted that to let Wang focus on preparing for the Asian Championships, he did not have her participate in last week's Youth Olympic Games national team trials, which left her a bit down and even brought her to tears. However, the two quickly reached a consensus to aim for a medal at these championships. "Although the gold medal match was a bit tense, she still seized the opportunity to land a crucial high kick." Notably, Wang had previously achieved two consecutive victories at the World Junior Taekwondo Championships but had always been under a jinx in Asian-level competitions, failing to win gold at the Asian Junior Taekwondo Championships and the Asian Youth Games. This time, Chu's heartwarming words to her before the event, "This time, coach will break the jinx with you," successfully calmed Wang's nerves, making him a hero behind the scenes. Taekwondo sparring team head coach Su Tai-yuan exclaimed he was "super thrilled," and happy that Wang brought a good start to the team. He added that besides Wang, Lin I-hsin and Huang Yu-jen also helped Team Taiwan secure Asian Games qualifications in their respective weight classes. "We hope to continue this momentum and keep winning gold medals."