[Reporter Wu Mengru/Comprehensive Report] At the 2026 Nagoya Asia Pacific Games, the Taiwanese delegation won its first gold medal. Taekwondo expert Xiao Xiangwen faced Uzbek athletes in the men's 58kg K44 gold medal match. In the end, he defeated his opponent 2:0, domineeringly achieving his second consecutive victory in the Asia Pacific Games.
When watching a Taekwondo match, it is easy to be attracted by the continuous attacks, thinking that the faster and more intensive the kicks, the closer to victory. In Para Taekwondo, players are mainly graded based on upper limb dysfunction. The rules prohibit attacks on the head, and boxing does not count. Points are mainly scored by kicking the torso protective gear. When watching a match, in addition to seeing whether the kick is successful, you can also pay attention to the few seconds before and after the kick: who is the first to distance, who allows the opponent to chase too quickly, and who finds the gap between the series of attacks to counterattack.
Xiao Xiangwen used his own experience to illustrate that battle situations are never just about speed. He shared that he was eager to score points in a game and used all his coherent movements in one go. However, some of the kicks were too light and did not reach the sensing threshold of the electronic protective gear; after the opponent successfully blocked the attack, he just caught the momentary gap after his move ended, and decisively counterattacked and scored. I originally wanted to seize the opportunity, but I also exhausted the flexibility for subsequent changes. "An offense must be strategic." For him, being active or passive is a choice, and the focus is on the details of execution. Some players move extremely fast and are elusive, always making sudden attacks in an instant. If the chasing side becomes more and more anxious and exerts force blindly, the center of gravity will easily become distorted, leaving a loophole for losing points. On the other hand, when faced with an opponent who continues to attack, one must try to interrupt the opponent's rhythm and cannot allow the offensive to continue.
In preparation for the Nagoya game, he and his coach carefully analyzed the recent game videos of key opponents, and also reviewed the details of points lost in past games. Have you changed your habits now that you have faced opponents before? Will the tactics that worked once work the next time? As we accumulate experience in international competitions and learn more about each other, familiarity does not mean ease. Therefore, rather than thinking about the final ranking in advance, he wants to focus on the game in front of him. When he is nervous, he will close his eyes, take a deep breath, and remind himself to do well in the present moment in order to face the challenges ahead.
However, having a direction does not mean that every day will be smooth sailing. In preparation for this competition, a foot injury still made Xiao Xiangwen feel inadequate in some trainings; how to accurately convey his physical condition has become an important issue for him recently.
When playing on the court, he will take the initiative to communicate with the coach about his immediate feelings and tactical ideas. When he feels tired, wants to vomit, or has not regained his feeling for the game, he will suggest cutting in at a slow pace first, and then gradually regain the dominance. If your opponent prefers a slow pace, try to speed up the pace to test the opponent's reaction; if you encounter a strong offensive player, make more changes to disrupt the rhythm and then look for opportunities to attack.
But back to private daily training, he used to accept the coach's instructions completely. Sometimes, if he was slightly sick or unwell, it would be difficult for the coach to detect it if he didn't express it clearly. Later, through the communication and guidance of the sports protection staff, he began to learn to explain the progress of injury recovery more straightforwardly, clearly dividing which actions can be performed and which ones are still burdensome. The coach also often reminds him that if a certain movement causes discomfort, he should pause first and there is no need to rush to prove himself or increase the intensity. The flexible adjustment of the training plan requires the team to stand on the same information basis; and this key message must be said by him who is experiencing it personally.
Away from the training ground, Xiao Xiangwen's daily life has another test: how to support high-intensity training load while maintaining a heavy weight. Although a nutritionist assists in diet planning, the temptation of delicious food is still hard to resist. Asked if he had spent a difficult Mid-Autumn Festival, his tone was very calm: "I had a lot of fun at that time, so I had to "pay off the debt" after practice!" This sincerity and frankness makes it easy to imagine the cute daily life of athletes torn between the desire for food and the law of iron and blood.
Freed from the pull of diet control, he did not have a full schedule during the rare rest time. Watch YouTube, play games, go for a casual walk, whatever comes to mind. Living in Chiayi, he knows the local art galleries and markets very well. When talking about the South Campus of the National Palace Museum, he even jokingly described the frequency of his visits as "going to the museum to the point of getting moldy".
However, as long as he has free time, what he wants to do most is sleep. Long-term accumulated stress and nerve pain occasionally interfere with sleep at night, so when he can catch up on sleep, he wants to take the time to rest. This is also where he feels he is most similar to the cats at home: "Sleep when you can, and sleep when you are full." But when it comes to diet control, the cat daughter seems to be more determined than him. Even if you have your favorite food in front of you, you will stop eating when you are full and gracefully keep the rest until you are tired and wake up to enjoy it again. Owners need to strictly control their diet for the sake of quantity, but cats have their own comfortable and comfortable eating rhythm.
Now able to calmly analyze international opponents and calmly prepare for large-scale competitions, Xiao Xiangwen's fate with taekwondo has never been interrupted. After the injury, he was forced to stop for about two years to focus on his studies, and even had the idea of never touching taekwondo again. Later, the gym coach asked him to help as an assistant coach. In the process of accompanying the children to practice, he gradually regained the familiar feeling and confidence. During this period, he came into contact with the sports classification personnel of Para Taekwondo, and only then did he know that he had the opportunity to move to this new arena. At that time, he also said half-jokingly that maybe he could really make it to the Par Luck. Looking back on this fantastic journey now, he couldn't help but laugh and say that what he once joked actually turned into reality.
He often says that he has been very lucky along the way, but with it comes invisible pressure: "The higher you stand, the greater the pressure you bear." In the past, he dreamed of becoming a national player and stepping onto the world stage. Now that dream has come true, he is faced with a whole new level of goals and considerations. When talking about what attracts him most about Taekwondo, the answer is still pure: because there is a goal in his heart that he wants to pursue, and that goal guides the direction of daily training.
In addition, Xiao Xiangwen's deep feelings for Cat Girl are not only reflected in daily life, but also extend all the way to the sidelines of the game. Cat Girl also accompanies Xiao Xiangwen on every journey in a unique way. As long as he picks up the naturally fallen whiskers of cats at home, he will carefully collect them. When he goes abroad to compete, he will not only take these lucky things with him, but also have backups. Along with the expedition, there is also a "small quilt" specially designed for the cat daughter; before departure, he will let the cat fully rub the familiar smell on the quilt before packing it into the luggage. When you arrive in a foreign country, placing it beside your pillow when sleeping and holding it in your arms when resting will always bring you the power of stability. On the day of the interview, this quilt silently accompanied him, and this time he went to Nagoya, it was also an indispensable piece of luggage.
If there was a magic pocket that could put one word in it to accompany him on the field, Xiao Xiangwen's answer would be "believe in yourself." The reason is simple: if you don’t even believe that you can do it, no matter how much encouragement others give you, it will be difficult to become a real force. He said that although he was the only one facing his opponent on the field, the coach on the sidelines was observing the situation and giving instructions at any time. The millisecond hesitation between offense and defense sometimes comes from not daring to try, sometimes from uncertainty about the execution of tactics. For Xiao Xiangwen, behind "believing in oneself" is also the most solid trust in those partners who fight side by side and make common judgments along the way.
With an accurate analysis of his opponents, the full support of his team, and the company of Mao Daughter and his family, Xiao Xiangwen is ready to step onto the field in Nagoya. The moment the referee blows the whistle, he will once again show his composure and domineering, focus on every kick in front of him, and turn all the sweat and belief in preparing for the game into a glorious moment that belongs to him.
