"TAIPEI TIMES" Athletes win gold and bronze in judo grand prix
Yang Yongwei defeated Kazakhstan's player in the 60kg final and won the gold medal, while Lin Chongyou won the bronze
Quick Look
- Taiwanese judoka Yang Yongwei defeated Kazakhstan's Aman Baksh Khan in the 60kg final of the Zagreb Grand Prix in Croatia after more than 11 minutes of fierce fighting to win the gold medal.
- This is his second gold medal after a year.
- Teammate Lin Chongyou defeated an Italian player in the 66kg bronze medal match and won his first Grand Prix medal.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Yang Yongwei is a Taiwanese Olympic medalist who previously won the lightweight event at the Judo Oceania Open in Gold Coast, Australia, in November last year. Lin Chongyou became the first Taiwanese judoka to win a gold medal at the World Judo Junior Championships seven years ago. He later moved to the 66kg category and was selected for this year's Asian Games team.
Taiwan Olympic medalist Yang Yongwei (杨永伟) won the gold medal after a fierce battle with Kazakhstan's Aman Baksh Khan for more than 11 minutes in the men's 60kg final of the Zagreb Grand Prix in Croatia.
As the second seed in the men's 60kg category, 29-year-old Yang Yongwei fell behind in the final because Bakshi Khan got a technical effect. However, Yang Yongwei kept calm and Ouchi Kao equalized the score before the end of regulation time.
The game enters a gold scoring overtime, and the first to score wins. More than seven minutes into the extra period, Yang Yongwei held his ground and forced his opponent to accept a third penalty point to win the gold medal.
Yang Yongwei's victory in Zagreb was his second gold medal a year after he won the lightweight title at the Judo Oceania Open in Gold Coast, Australia, in November last year.
Yang Yongwei's coach Liu Wen et al. (Liu Wen et al.) said that Yang Yongwei had high expectations for himself at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and the pressure was quite high.
Despite his outstanding performance at the World Championships, Yang Yongwei failed to reach the podium at the Asian Games as he did not fully recover from physical fatigue.
Liu Wen and others said that the delegation arrived in Zagreb in advance to adapt to the local weather and participated in a training camp to adjust Yang Yongwei's condition. These preparations helped him perform well in the competition.
Liu Wen and others said that this victory will give Yang Yongwei more confidence when seeking to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Liu Wen and others said that Yang Yongwei will participate in the Tokyo Grand Slam and Dushanbe World Judo Masters next month, and he is looking forward to the season ending with a climax.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese judoka Lin Chongyou (林 Chongyou) defeated Italy's Valerio Acholi in the men's 66kg bronze medal match to win his first Grand Prix medal.
Lin Chongyou, 24, rose to prominence seven years ago when he became the first Taiwanese judoka to win a gold medal at the World Judo Junior Championships.
However, after struggling to make headway in high-level events, he moved up a weight class to the men's 66kg category and was eventually selected for Taiwan's Asian Games team this year.
His bronze medal marked another career milestone.
The tournament in Croatia ends today.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Yang Yongwei will participate in the Tokyo Grand Slam and Dushanbe World Judo Masters next month
Very likely · Within weeks
Yang Yongwei will continue to strive for qualifications for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- The specific dates for Yang Yongwei to participate in the Tokyo Grand Slam and Dushanbe World Judo Masters
- Yang Yongwei’s detailed schedule for the Los Angeles Olympic Qualification Tournament
- The specific score of Lin Chongyou’s bronze medal match
