Taiwan wins record medal haul, including 35 golds, at 2024 Gymnasiade

Taipei, Oct. 31 (CNA) Taiwanese athletes completed their participation in the 2024 Gymnasiade, also known as the World School Sport Games, on Thursday in Bahrain with a record haul of 79 medals, including 35 golds.

A total of 119 Taiwanese athletes competed in 19 sports at the U18 games, with strong performances from the judo team, which clinched the most medals with seven golds, one silver and four bronzes.

In archery, athletes competing in the recurve event also bagged gold medals including in the singles, mixed and team competitions, while Taiwanese shuttlers won several gold medals in their respective events.

Wu Chun-you (吳俊佑), who competed in the para-athletics event in Bahrain, received a "sporting spirit award" from the International School Sport Federation (ISF), becoming the first Taiwanese athlete to win such honor.

Cheng Shih-chung (鄭世忠), head of the Sports Administration, said the event provided young Taiwanese athletes with invaluable experience in international sporting competitions.

In the future, the administration will continue its efforts to create a quality training environment to foster young athletes in Taiwan, Cheng said.

At this year's ISF Gymnasiade held from Oct. 23-31 in Bahrain, Taiwan clinched a total of 35 gold, 21 silver and 23 bronze medals.

Prior to the event, head of the Chinese Taipei School Sport Federation Hu Chien-feng (胡劍峯) on Oct. 21 said Taiwan's best performance at the Gymnasiade in the past had been 68 medals, including 24 gold.

The international school sporting event is organized every two years under the supervision of the ISF, with the first edition held in Belgium in 1990.