Taiwan's Lin wins heptathlon gold at Asian U20 Championships

Taipei, May 31 (CNA) Taiwan's Lin Pei-hsuan (林沛萱) won gold in the women's heptathlon at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong on Sunday, earning Taiwan its second gold medal of the meet.

Lin scored 4,730 points to claim the title, two days after winning bronze in the women's high jump.

Competing against two other athletes, Lin built a commanding lead through the opening four events and entered the final 800-meter race with an advantage of nearly 1,000 points, effectively securing the gold medal.

Coach Chen Hung-chieh (陳鴻傑) said Lin sprained her ankle after the high jump competition and experienced discomfort while competing in the hurdles the following day.

Despite the injury, Lin chose to continue after discussing the situation with her coaches, Chen said.

While her final score was below her personal best, Chen said athletes faced difficult conditions because of the extreme heat and humidity in Hong Kong.

"These were probably the hottest days Hong Kong has experienced this year. Athletes lost energy very quickly in the heat," he said.

Chen described the gold medal as a fitting end to Lin's junior career, noting that this was her final appearance at the Asian U20 Championships before moving up to senior-level competition.

After returning to Taiwan, Lin is expected to take a two-week break before competing at the Hong Kong Athletics Championships, he added.