TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan women’s trap shooter Liu Wan-yu (劉宛渝) won a gold medal at the Kuwait City Asian Shotgun Championship on Monday (Jan. 15).
The victory assures Liu a spot in the upcoming Paris Summer Olympics, as the win also doubled as a qualifying tournament for the Asian region. Liu relished the victory as she contemplated retiring from competitive shooting in 2023, per CNA.
Support from friends and family ultimately swayed the 28-year-old to give trap shooting one final shot. Her father introduced her to the sport, and she began competing as a high school freshman, finishing fifth in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and capturing her first gold medal at the Universiade in Naples in 2019.
Liu also competed again at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 but was eliminated in the qualifying round. This loss led her to the lowest point in her career, as she had been anticipating a better performance.
Liu Wan-yu (center) punches a ticket to the upcoming Paris Summer Olympics. (CNA photo)
"I encountered a lot of obstacles last year. For the whole year, I have been actively making adjustments, but I could not seem to get over that hurdle,” said Liu in an interview with CNA. Her frustration caused her to consider giving up training for the Asian Shotgun Championship.
Liu scored 44 points, winning her the gold at the championship. The win also gained her Taiwan’s seventh spot in the shooting competition for the upcoming Olympics.
