Taiwan bags four more golds at Taipei International Grand Prix

Taipei, Sept. 24 (CNA) Taiwanese sharpshooters secured four more gold medals at the first-ever Taipei International Grand Prix on Tuesday, led by Paris Olympian Yang Kun-pi (楊昆弼).

Yang won the men's trap event with a total score of 45 points in the final at the National Shooting Training Base Gongxi Shooting Range in Taoyuan, beating London 2012 Olympic silver medalist Massimo Fabbrizi of Italy by two points.

Speaking of his triumph over the 47-year-old veteran, Yang said he idolized Fabbrizi when he was first exposed to the sport, joking, "I can only kick his ass now that he's getting old."

The Paris Games were Yang's third where he failed to advance to the final, finishing with a 121-point score in the qualification round and placing 12th.

Yang said he "reset" his mindset soon after returning to Taiwan and is confident about competing in Los Angeles in 2028.

This is the first time Taiwan has hosted a Grand Prix shooting tournament, which is next only to World Championships and World Cups, running from Sept. 21-30.

Yang looks forward to seeing an increased number of international tournaments take place in Taiwan, giving domestic shooters more opportunities to compete against foreign marksmen.

Also on Tuesday, Taiwanese sharpshooters won another three gold medals in the women's trap event, 10m air pistol mixed team, and 10m air rifle mixed team.

Liu Wan-yu (劉宛渝) tied with Kiara Sioux-Lin Dean of Australia with 40 points in the women's trap final but defeated the Aussie in a shoot-off. Liu's compatriot Lin Yi-chun (林怡君), a five-time Olympian, finished third.

Meanwhile, Sung Yu-ting (宋諭婷) and Sung Chia-yen (宋佳彥) were victorious in the 10m air rifle mixed team event. The sister and brother both participated in the Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023 but did not team up until the qualifier for the Paris Games held in Brazil in April.

The victory marked a milestone for them on the international stage.

In addition, Chang Lu (張潞) and Cheng Yen-ching (鄭晏晴) won the 10m air rifle mixed team event.

Following two gold medals and one silver on Monday, Taiwanese shooters have so far won a total of six golds, one silver, and one bronze at the ongoing tournament.