FEATURE/Living in the moment: Lien Chen-ling aims for vindication in Paris

By Huang Chiao-wen and Chao Yen-hsiang, CNA staff reporter and writer

When judo veteran Lien Chen-ling (連珍羚) was eliminated in the round of 16 at the Tokyo Olympics, she was crushed, breaking down in sobs and tears in an interview after her defeat.

Yet it was because of that defeat three years ago that the 36-year-old will have a chance on July 29 at the Paris Olympics to show what she feels she is truly capable of achieving.

"If I had done my best at the Tokyo Olympics and still lost, I would've thought it was time to retire," she said in a recent interview with CNA in which she looked back at the Tokyo experience and looked ahead to her third and likely final Olympic Games.

Taiwanese fans had expected their "Queen of Judo" to outperform her fifth place finish in her Olympic debut in Rio in 2016, but after a first-round bye, Lien was eliminated in the round of 16 by Slovenia's Kaja Kajzer.

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She said before the event that "a mature athlete has to face the result bravely no matter what because it's a world of wins and losses." She reiterated this sentiment after losing, but that was not enough to block out the tears. 

Now she has a chance to rewrite history.

On June 25, the International Judo Federation confirmed her qualification in the women's under-57 kilogram weight class event in Paris.

She will be joined there by two other Taiwanese, Yang Yung-wei (楊勇緯) in the men's under-60 kg division and Lin Chen-hao (林真豪) in the women's under-48 kg division.

Now in the twilight of her career, Lien said she was approaching this competition with a different mindset.

Against all odds

Looking back at what happened in Tokyo, Lien said she realized in hindsight that she had been overwhelmed by stress as she prepared for the event, a period she described as "painful."

"I stressed myself out every day. I wasn't really enjoying the moment, and that affected my performance," she recalled.

It would have been easy to retire, but after consulting her family and friends, she knew she had to keep going.

"[What I showed in Tokyo] was not my full potential. I haven't shown the world what I'm capable of doing," she said. "If I had retired then, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life."

Lien decided to set the goal of winning gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games, but not everyone believed in her. One person close to her even told her that goal was "impossible," which only fueled her desire.

"That 'impossible' remark was etched in my memory. The more you say so, the more I'm going to prove you wrong," she said.

On Sept. 25, 2023, at her fourth Asian Games, Lien won the first Asian Games gold medal in judo ever won by a Taiwanese woman by defeating Japanese standout Momo Tamaoki, an opponent she had never beaten before.

"It doesn't matter if the whole world doesn't believe in me. I believe in myself," she said at the time.

That does not mean she will be one of the favorites in her weight class. She only made it to the round of 16 in the 2023 World Judo Championships, was knocked out in the first round of the 2024 event in Abu Dhabi in May, and is currently ranked 21st in the world.

But whatever happens, as she enters her third Olympics she wants to appreciate her experience as much as possible.

"I want to savor each moment from the preparatory stage to when I take to the Olympic stage, moments that only belong to me and only I can experience," she said on Facebook after officially clinching her Olympic berth on June 25.

Coming a long way

Lien took a roundabout route to reaching the pinnacle of her sport.

Born to former deputy police commissioner Lien Chin-he (連金河), she first joined a judo club in third grade to avoid morning study sessions.

She said she fought with boys so often that she was always afraid that teachers would appear when her mother picked her up, fearing that the teachers would tell her mother what she did.

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After high school, Lien had hoped to follow in her father's footsteps and attend Central Police University, but she did not do well enough on her entrance exams and instead enrolled at National Taiwan Sport University.

Later in her sophomore year, Lien chose to study in Japan, and after graduation, she started her professional judo career by joining the Komatsu Women's Judo Club.

Sixteen years have since gone by, and she has won over 20 medals during that time, including gold at the 2015 Judo Budapest Grand Prix and the 2017 Baku Grand Slam.

Lien admitted that "it definitely would've scared the [expletive] out of me" if she had been told at the age of 20 that she would be in Japan for 16 years.

"[At that time] joining a pro club was something far beyond my reach because it's super competitive. How lucky would I have to be to stay there so long?"

Throw my way

When asked about her idol, Lien did not name a judoka but rather Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, whose atypical physique and exceptional skill resonate with her own journey in judo.

Born in 1988 as was Curry, the 1.68-meter Lien said few people on the outside can tell she is an athlete because of her relatively thin figure, making Curry a more relatable star to her.

"I used to think that basketball players had to be strong and have a great build, but Curry's physique does not stand out in the NBA, and he changed the game by shooting threes," she said.

Lien is currently focused on her event, but she is hoping to have the chance see Curry play for the United States in Paris.

In another post in mid-June, Lien said she has often asked herself what it means to be a successful judoka and decided: "I think a successful judoka is one who has many fans rooting for you."

For that reason, she wrote, "Though I'm still practicing, I will approach my third Olympics with a mindset of tranquility and stability."

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