ASIAN GAMES/Taiwan's Johnny Sun takes silver in Asian Games wushu

Nagoya, Sept. 21 (CNA) Taiwanese wushu athlete Johnny Sun (孫家閎) won silver in the men's taijiquan-taijijian event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Monday, securing Taiwan's first wushu medal at this year's Games.

Sun finished with a combined score of 19.453 points, earning 9.733 in taijiquan and 9.720 in taijijian. He placed second in the taijiquan portion and fourth in taijijian, finishing 0.107 points behind gold medalist Liu Dewen (劉德文) of China.

Taijiquan is the competitive form of tai chi, performed through a sequence of controlled, flowing movements, while taijijian is a tai chi sword routine. In the combined event, athletes perform both routines, and their scores are added together to determine the final standings.

"After waiting for 10 years, I finally made it onto the Asian Games podium. The moment I stood there, it felt truly unreal," Sun told CNA after the competition, adding that he was most grateful for his family's support over the past decade.

The 30-year-old said a video message from his 6-year-old son saying "Daddy, keep going," which his wife recorded three days before the event, gave him confidence ahead of the competition.

Sun said he had missed important moments in his son's childhood while preparing for the previous Asian Games, when COVID-19 restrictions kept him at the National Sports Training Center for three to four months and prevented him from returning home.

"Later, when I went home several times, he seemed a little unfamiliar with me, which was quite emotional," Sun said.

He added that he made a necklace with keepsakes representing his wife and two children so they could always be "with him."

Sun's taijijian routine featured "Call of Silence" from the popular Japanese anime "Attack on Titan," combined with Taiwanese elements to create a dramatic soundtrack.

A fan of the series, Sun said he had kept thinking about the song since this year's trials, prompting him to choose it as his competition music. He and his coach later spent more than a month creating 15 versions of the arrangement.

Sun, the oldest member of Taiwan's wushu squad at the Games, previously won gold in taijiquan and silver in taijijian at the 2023 FISU World University Games in Chengdu.

The two disciplines were combined into a single medal event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games, after being contested separately at some previous international competitions.

"Being 30 is just a number for me," Sun said, adding that he has yet to decide his next step after winning the silver medal.