Judoka Olympian Lien Chen-ling to retire, move into coaching

Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) Taiwanese judoka Lien Chen-ling (連珍羚) is planning to retire in the near future and work as a coach for the judo club of Japanese conglomerate Komatsu, she said Sunday at a launch of her autobiography.

The 36-year-old Lien, who competed in three Olympic Games and won a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in China in 2023, said at the event that she hoped to act as a bridge between Taiwan and Japan in her new job and help more Taiwanese judoka visit Japan.

She acknowledged that age was a major factor in her decision to retire from the sport, but said she felt judokas never really retired and she wanted to give back to judo in another way by working as a coach.

Though committed to retirement, Lien still left open the possibility of appearing at the National Games later this month, saying only that "as long as my physical condition allows it and the club agrees, then I'll have the opportunity to compete."

The Taiwanese judoka, who is expected to begin her new job in November, said she did not have much of understanding of coaching and considered herself a "white belt" in the field, but she hoped to one day gain "black belt" coaching status.

That will require a learning curve, and Lien said she will observe how Japan maintains long-term and stable results in the judo arena as she learns how to be a coach.

"I know that I will return to Taiwan in the future. Before that, I hope to build a bridge between Taiwan and Japan."

Deemed the "Queen of Judo," Lien has set many firsts in the sport for Taiwanese athletes.

She not only became the first Taiwanese judoka to be recruited to the Komatsu Women's Judo Team in 2014, but also won Taiwan's first international judo gold medal at the 2015 Grand Prix Budapest.

Lien also had the best result of any Taiwanese judo competitor at the 2016 Olympics, when she placed fifth in her weight class.

Despite achieving several milestones, Lien has gone through many twists and turns in her career. She was eliminated in the round of 16 in the under-57 kg event at the Tokyo Olympics but won a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in China in 2023.

At the Paris Olympics, Lien fell short of her own expectations, losing in the opening round of her under-57 kg division in what will likely be her last appearance in any international competition.

"If I had done my best at the Tokyo Olympics and still lost, I would have thought it was time to retire," Lien said in an interview before the Olympics.

Instead she competed in two more Summer Games and now will move into the world of coaching.

(By Chen Jung-chen and Evelyn Kao) Endtiem/ls