Youth Olympic Games best record in Taiwan, Kaohsiung Zhuang High School Li Han wins bronze medal

Principal Lin Xiangyin of Xinzhuang High School (left) presented a commemorative bear to Youth Olympic bronze medalist Li Han (right). Li Han took a photo holding the official mascot "Ayo" lion doll brought back from the Youth Olympics in Dhaka. (Provided by Xinzhuang High School)

[Reporter Xu Lijuan/Kaohsiung Report] The 2026 Youth Olympic Games will be held in Dhaka, the capital of Senegal, Africa from October 31 to November 13. Li Han, a 17-year-old sophomore at Kaohsiung Municipal Xinzhuang High School, won the bronze medal in the men's 100-meter freestyle final with a time of 50 seconds 26, becoming Taiwan's first swimmer to win a Youth Olympic medal.

Li Han became interested in swimming because he had allergies as a child and was advised by his doctor to start swimming. I joined the swimming team in the third and fourth grades of elementary school. When I was in the sixth grade, I noticed that my grades gradually improved, and I began to seriously consider developing a career in competitive swimming. Along the way, his parents always respected his interests and choices, and did not put too much pressure on him based on competition results, allowing him to grow at his own pace.

Instructor Xu Weiming said that Li Han not only has the strength, but is also willing to devote time and effort to his choice. He is especially affirmative of his psychological quality, which can remain stable in the face of competition and is not easily affected by the ups and downs of performance.

Talking about his most recognized "stable" trait, Li Han believes that although athletes need to have a sense of gain and loss, they do not need to care too much about the results of a single game. The important thing is to identify shortcomings and continue to correct them in order to make progress step by step. This pragmatic attitude has also become an important strength for him to meet the challenges of international competitions.

Apart from training and competition, Li Han is also an ordinary high school student. He likes to listen to English pop music, play games with his classmates, and is also keen on collecting model cars. Although he has shown excellent results in the field of swimming, he has gradually established his future development direction in the United States. It is expected that I will apply for self-study starting from the second semester of my sophomore year of high school, and devote more time to special swimming training, English learning, and preparation for the SAT test required for admission to American universities.

"The world is really big!" This is Li Han's most profound experience after traveling abroad to compete many times. He admitted frankly that when facing top foreign players, he would find that he has a lot of room for improvement. Currently, he is aiming for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and is also interested in the field of sports science. He hopes to combine his own sports experience with professional learning in the future.

Lin Xiangyin, principal of Xinzhuang High School, said that many American universities are actively recruiting Li Han and are willing to provide him with a four-year full scholarship, giving him the opportunity to achieve a better balance between professional training and higher education.

Xinzhuang High School Li Han (2nd from right) won the Youth Olympics bronze medal. From the left in the picture are Chen Junwei, academic director of Xinzhuang High School, Xu Suqing, sports team leader, principals Lin Xiangyin and Li Han, and coach Xu Weiming. (Provided by Xinzhuang High School)