OLYMPICS / Chang posts Taiwan's first Olympic slalom finish in about 40 years

Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) Troy Samuel Chang (張天將) became the first Taiwanese to complete the Olympic alpine skiing men's slalom in nearly four decades with a 36th-place finish at the Winter Olympics in Italy on Monday.

Competing in Milano Cortina, the 20-year-old finished the two runs in a combined time of 2 minutes 22.85 seconds.

The last time a male skier from Taiwan completed the event at the Winter Olympics dates back to 1988 when Chen Tong-jong (陳東榮) finished 48th in Calgary, Canada.

Heavy snowfall during the first run led to difficult course conditions, with 57 of the 96 competitors failing to finish.

Chang clocked 1:11.56 in his first run and 1:11.29 in his second.

He admitted feeling nervous after seeing many skiers fail to complete the course, but said he felt relieved when the snowfall eased.

"It was really exhausting, but I knew I had to hang on," he said.

Chang said his performance was a way of giving back to his family for their unwavering support, adding that he felt proud of himself for persevering with the sport since childhood.