National Games Swimming: 50m Butterfly Smashes Meet Record! Taiwanese-American Wu Chao-chi Grabs First Gold

Taiwanese-American swimmer Wu Chao-chi has made waves at the 115th National Intercollegiate Athletic Games, shattering the 6-year-old meet record in the boys' 50-meter butterfly. With a stunning time of 24.55 seconds, Wu not only clinched his first gold medal but also dethroned the celebrated "Taiwan Butterfly King," Wang Kuan-hung, whose previous record of 24.85 seconds set in 2019 now belongs to history.

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Set the goal, I firmly believe in myself, seize the opportunity to break through limits, and then create new heights!

Wu, a student at Tainan Guanghua High School, showcased his impressive 195cm physique and explosive power in a thrilling final. He narrowly defeated his rival, Chang Yu-wei of Taichung Dongshan High School, who finished with 24.83 seconds. This victory was particularly sweet for Wu, as it avenged his narrow silver medal loss to Chang in the 50m backstroke by a mere 0.03 seconds.

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I'm very satisfied. I originally expected to swim around 25 seconds, but it turned out to be over 24 seconds. I even broke the record of the famous senior Wang Kuan-hung for the first time!

The young swimmer's remarkable performance is the result of dedicated effort, including a significant weight loss of 11 kilograms over the past two months, during which he even gave up his favorite fries. Furthermore, since July of last year, he has been training under former national player Huang Yen-hsin. Wu credits his new coach's innovative methods and improved communication for his substantial progress, stating, "The coach is younger, and it's easier to communicate with us. The techniques and movements are different, and I feel much better compared to before."

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It feels great, much improved compared to before. Different coaches teach differently, and the techniques and movements are also different. More importantly, the coach is younger and communicates better with us.