Taiwan wins two more golds at Taipei International Grand Prix

Taipei, Sept. 25 (CNA) Taiwanese shooters won two more golds at the Taipei International Grand Prix on Wednesday, with Lin Ying-shin (林穎欣) winning the women's 10-meter air rifle event and Yang Kun-pi (楊昆弼) triumphing in the trap mixed team final alongside Liu Wan-yu (劉宛渝).

Lin secured a total score of 249.9 points in the final at the National Shooting Training Base Gongxi Shooting Range in Taoyuan, beating Japan's Hinata Taichi, who scored 249.2 points.

Yang and Liu achieved a total of 139 points after three rounds, defeating silver medalist Australia by five points.

Prior to the event on Wednesday, Yang and Liu each won a gold medal in the men and women's trap event on Tuesday.

Interviewed by CNA, Lin said despite the competition being held at a familiar venue, she had been nervous since the qualification round as a home athlete.

She overcame her nervousness by constantly reminding herself to not rush and take each step one at a time, Lin added.

Having won gold in the mixed team event at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, Lin did not perform well at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics this year, but remained determined and kept trying.

"I just don't want to give up. I believe I am capable enough and I should keep pushing myself."

Lin said she will continue to work hard with her next goal being to stand on the podium at the 2026 Asian Games.

Meanwhile, Yang and Liu's gold medal in the Taipei tournament is their third medal together in the trap mixed team category, following a gold at the 2018 Southeast Asia Shooting Championships and a silver at the 2019 Summer Universiade.

According to Liu, having a partner in the competition puts her at ease and boosts her confidence, as she and Yang support each other without the pressure of expectation.

Liu participated in her first Olympics this year and reflecting on that journey said she was very confident at first but made mistakes which she felt were unacceptable.

However, she also decided it is necessary to "let it go" and recognized that the Olympic experience helped her become stronger mentally and technically, which led to her winning medals at the Grand Prix Battle of Crete in Greece and the Taipei International Grand Prix.

Yang also participated in the Olympics this year but failed to advance to the men's trap final, placing 12th in the qualification round with 121 points.

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

In addition to the two golds, Taiwan's Sung Yu-ting (宋諭婷) won bronze in the women's 10m air rifle event on Wednesday while Lin, Sung, and Chen Chi (陳淇) won silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event.

As of Wednesday Taiwanese athletes has won eight golds, two silvers, and two bronzes at the ongoing tournament, which ends on Sept. 30.