Asian Games Archery: Compound Archer Chen Yi-hsuan Enjoys Sudoku, Aims for Top Medal

Taiwanese compound bow archer Chen Yi-hsuan is aiming for her best performance yet at her third Asian Games appearance. The 31-year-old athlete, who secured a mixed team gold and women's team bronze in the 2018 Jakarta Games, and another bronze medal last time, is feeling confident.

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It's just like archery; it's frustrating when you can't solve it, but you just solve it slowly and figure out how to complete the problem.

Chen has been steadily improving, with her performance in four World Cup archery events this year showing consistent progress. "This year's performance in the four World Cup archery events has improved, and my ranking has been going up," she said. "For me, it's a demonstration of practice results and building confidence, so I am also looking forward to this Asian Games, hoping to shoot the highest-colored medal."

Beyond her athletic pursuits, Chen has found a unique way to manage the pressure of competition: Sudoku. She recently started playing the puzzle game with teammate Huang Yi-jou, finding it a novel way to relax. "It's just like archery; it's frustrating when you can't solve it, but you just solve it slowly and figure out how to complete the problem," Chen explained.

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This year's performance in the four World Cup archery events has improved, and my ranking has been going up. For me, it's a demonstration of practice results and building confidence, so I am also looking forward to this Asian Games, hoping to shoot the highest-colored medal.

She likens the mental challenge of Sudoku to the stress-testing required in archery. "The current goal is to coexist with nervousness and pressure. Even if I can't be calm, I can use what I'm currently doing to bring into the competition. So even if I'm very nervous at the moment, I can still do what I should do."

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The current goal is to coexist with nervousness and pressure. Even if I can't be calm, I can use what I'm currently doing to bring into the competition. So even if I'm very nervous at the moment, I can still do what I should do.