Taiwanese figure skater Li Yu-hsiang wins silver at Asian tourney

Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) Li Yu-hsiang (李宇翔) won a silver medal at the recently concluded Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy in the Philippines, becoming the first Taiwanese skater to reach the podium at the event since Tsao Chih-i (曹志禕) in 2018.

Competing in the men's senior category, Li fell during the short program and finished fourth out of 17 contestants with a score of 59.38.

Facing the possibility of missing the podium, he made a strong comeback in the free skate with a score of 134.96, bringing his total to 194.34 points and securing second place behind 19-year-old South Korean Kim Hyung-yeom, who took gold.

Speaking to CNA after the tournament, Li said he had originally aimed for bronze but doubted his chances after injuring his pelvis in the short program fall.

However, as other skaters made mistakes, he unexpectedly ended up with silver. "I never expected to medal at all," he said.

Li's performance marked the first time a Taiwanese skater has medaled at the Asian Open since Tsao won silver in Bangkok in 2018.

Now back in Taiwan, Li described the tournament as a valuable experience and said he plans to take a short break before preparing for the 2026 Winter Olympic qualifying event in Beijing this September.

This year's Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy was held at the SM Mall of Asia Ice Skating Rink in Manila from Aug. 1-5.