TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan table tennis player Tian Shiau-wen (田曉雯) took bronze on Tuesday (Sept. 3), marking her second medal at the Paris Paralympics.
In the women's singles TT10 class semifinals on Tuesday, Tian faced off against Poland's Natalia Partyka and, despite a hard-fought match, lost with scores of 6-11, 5-11, 11-8, 14-12, 8-11, per ETtoday. Although she missed out on the gold medal match, she still earned a bronze medal.
Tian grew up on Xiaoliuqiu and has a condition where the nerves in her right hand are atrophied, preventing her from fully extending or raising it. Only her left-hand functions normally.
Encouraged by her mother, she began learning table tennis and gradually achieved remarkable results in international competitions. Notably, in the previous Tokyo Paralympics, she was the only Taiwanese athlete to reach the podium, marking a major milestone in her career.
This time, at the Paris Paralympics, Tian teamed up with her friend Lin Tzu-yu (林姿妤) to win a silver medal in the women's doubles WD20 class. Immediately after, she competed in the women's singles TT10 class.
In a match on Monday (Sept. 2), she defeated Australia's Melissa Tapper, securing a spot in the semifinals, which guaranteed her at least a bronze medal. On Tuesday, she competed in the semifinals, fighting for a chance at the finals.
In the semifinals against Poland's Natalia Partyka, Tian lost the first two games 6-11 and 5-11. She adjusted her strategy and won the next two games 11-8 and 14-12, leveling the match.
However, she could not maintain her lead in the decisive fifth game and lost 8-11, ultimately settling for a bronze medal.
After the match, Tian said she felt a bit regretful, especially since she was leading in the final game but did not win. Nevertheless, she enjoyed the competition and expressed gratitude to her coach and the support team for providing the best resources, particularly for the long-term training at the National Sports Training Center. "I performed as expected this time without any major regrets. I'm very happy that I didn't disappoint everyone's expectations."
