ASIAN GAMES/Shih Cheng-chung wins men's karate bronze at Asian Games

Nagoya, Sept. 21 (CNA) Taiwanese karate athlete Shih Cheng-chung (石政中) won bronze in the men's kumite under-67-kilogram division at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Monday after defeating Vietnam's Khuất Hải Nam 9-3.

The 26-year-old rebounded from a disappointing campaign at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, where he lost in the bronze-medal bout and finished off the podium.

It was Taiwan's second karate medal in Nagoya, after Chien Hui-hsuan (簡慧萱) secured bronze in the women's individual kata event on Sunday.

Shih advanced through the early rounds with a series of close victories, edging Tajikistan's Alisher Sultonov 4-3 in the round of 32, defeating Syria's Darwish Mohammed 5-1 in the round of 16 and narrowly overcoming Qatar's Yaman Alnatsheh 6-5 in the quarterfinals.

His run to the final four ended with a 2-5 loss to Japan's Kozaki Yugo in the semifinals, sending him into the bronze-medal match. After regrouping, he dominated Khuất 9-3 to claim his first Asian Games medal.

Speaking after the match, Shih said he was deeply disappointed after narrowly missing the podium in Hangzhou despite believing he had a strong chance to medal.

Encouraged by his coach, however, he quickly put the setback behind him, saying his passion for karate and belief that he was still young motivated him to continue training and prove himself.

Shih admitted he briefly worried history might repeat itself when he found himself contesting another bronze-medal match, but said his coach's unwavering confidence gave him the belief to compete without hesitation.

Looking ahead, he said he hopes to return at the next Asian Games and upgrade his bronze to gold.