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Dragon Boat World Club Championships: Taiwan wins its first gold as Lin Sheng-ju leads Hualien students at home

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Hualien Sports High School won the host country’s first gold medal at the 2026 World Club Crew Dragon Boat Championships in Hualien County.
  • The team won the 500-meter elite open 10-person boat final in 2 minutes, 5.03 seconds, improving on its preliminary-round time.
  • Coach Hou Hung-chang and team leader Lin Sheng-ju credited familiarity with Liyu Lake, international experience and the team’s long preparation.

Hualien Sports High School delivered Taiwan’s first gold medal at the World Club Crew Dragon Boat Championships, winning in front of a home crowd at Liyu Lake in Shoufeng Township, Hualien County.

The team took the 500-meter elite open 10-person boat final in 2 minutes, 5.03 seconds. Starting from the fourth lane, Hualien moved into the lead immediately and held it through the finish, beating competitors from other countries. The time also improved on its 2:06.24 result in the preliminary round.

It is not easy to break 2:05. A result like this should be enough to win a medal at an international competition.

— Hou Hung-changThe coach assessed the team’s winning time in the 500-meter final.

Coach Hou Hung-chang said the team’s result was hard-earned. “It is not easy to break 2:05. A result like this should be enough to win a medal at an international competition,” he said. Hualien assembled alumni and recent graduates for the event, including athletes with backgrounds in canoeing and dragon boat racing. Several have represented Taiwan at the Asian Games and East Asian Games.

There was a home advantage, but there was also pressure. Thank you for everyone’s support. We did not let people down.

— Hou Hung-changHe described competing at Liyu Lake before the home crowd.

Liyu Lake offered a powerful home advantage. Hou said many of the athletes had trained there since childhood and some might continue using the waters through university. That familiarity brought confidence, but also pressure. “There was a home advantage, but there was also pressure. Thank you for everyone’s support. We did not let people down,” he said.

Lin Sheng-ju, who carried the athlete oath at the opening ceremony, finally reached the podium. He said former teammates continued returning to train even after graduation and, in some cases, while holding jobs. Their long familiarity and international experience, he said, helped create the strength behind the victory. “We are honored to win this championship for Taiwan and for Hualien,” Lin said.

We are honored to win this championship for Taiwan and for Hualien.

— Lin Sheng-juThe team leader spoke after reaching the podium.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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