Taipei, July 16 (CNA) Taiwan's women tug of war team swept the outdoor 540 kilograms division to bag the country's first gold at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama in the United States on Friday, its fifth consecutive gold medal at the international multi-sport event.
The Taiwan team, competing under the name Chinese Taipei, defeated Sweden 3-0 in the finals at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Track and Field Complex and had stayed undefeated in the round robin matchup between six national teams.
"Five consecutive championships in 21 years is really not easy," the Chinese Taipei Tug of War Association said in a social media post, following the latest triumph.
After qualifying for the World Games last year, the Taiwan team continued to train and overcome the difficulties brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic, showing the best examples of sportsmanship and never gave up, the association said.
The Taiwan team's head coach Kuo Sheng (郭昇) also said the win did not come easy as some of his athletes were still high school students who were not as experienced as older members on the squad.
Luckily, the collective focus and unity given by his nine-athlete squad was able to produce strong results, Kuo added.
Back at the gold medal final, the Taiwan team won its first and second pulls in 26 and 18 seconds, respectively, to win the best-of-three-pull match.
The final standings of the women's outdoor 540kg also saw Switzerland clinch bronze, and Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Germany finish fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
Taiwan's medal tally at the World Games, being held this year in Birmingham from July 7-17, is now one gold, five silvers, and five bronze.
