Taiwan's judoka settles for silver at Asian championships

Bangkok, April 25 (CNA) Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei (楊勇緯) finished with a silver medal in the men's 60-kilogram event at the 2025 Asian Senior Championships on Friday.

Yang, a silver medalist in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, was top-seeded in the championships, but settled for the silver medal after losing to Taiki Nakamura from Japan in the final match.

This is the second consecutive silver that Yang has obtained in the Asian championships.

The games were also his first international competition in nearly nine months, following his quarterfinal exit at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Yang told CNA that new rules have been put in place in the games, and referees, coaches and athletes are all adjusting to the new game pacing.

He said he was observing his general state after taking a break from major competitions, and will subsequently make adjustments.

He told CNA that he saw the skills that he needed to improve on through the games, and that he has recovered the mental state to compete in international competitions.

"I think I still have good competitiveness on the arena, and my conditions are recovering and adjusting," he said.

As for his goals for 2025, Yang said they are to prepare adequately for every game, and enjoy the process no matter the results.

Yang's coach Liu Wen-teng (劉文等) told CNA that Yang has regained his state, and that he should be able to perform even better after making some adjustments.

The championships are being held in Bangkok, Thailand from April 25-27. A total of 295 athletes from 30 countries are participating in the games, according to its organizers.

Taiwan has sent eight men and nine women to compete in the games.