On August 6, 2023, Wen-Chi Hsu, who had previously secured a gold medal in the mixed team event on August 2, won a bronze medal in the women’s singles badminton event at the World University Games 2023 in Chengdu, representing NYCU.
Chih-Chuan Wang, Director of the Office of Physical Education, stated that this marks the first time that NYCU has had athletes win a badminton medal at the World University Games, making it the university’s best-ever performance. Hsu has excelled academically and achieved remarkable results in sports, earning her a spot on the national team. Her representation of NYCU at the games with such outstanding results has brought pride and honor to the school.
President Ing-Wen Tsai received all the Taiwanese representatives from the World University Games, including Hsu, at the Presidential Office on August 9. President Tsai expressed her gratitude and appreciation for the Taiwanese athletes who have brought pride to the nation.
Hsu is renowned as both a top-notch player and a straight-A student. After graduating high school, she was admitted to NYCU’s Department of Industrial Engineering and Management due to her exceptional badminton skills. Although she initially planned to focus on her studies during college, her passion for badminton drew her back to the court in her junior year. As Hsu once said, ‘If I were to give up badminton, I would regret it for the rest of my life.’ In 2020, she decided to take a two-year break from her master’s program in finance. During this break, she dedicated herself to intensive training and participated in numerous international tournaments. She successfully achieved her goal of entering the world’s top 100 rankings by 2021. Currently ranked 16th in the world, she is the only Taiwanese player to reach the badminton singles semifinals at this year’s World University Games.
The World University Games, or the Universiade, is an international multi-sport event for university athletes. The International University Sports Federation (Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire, FISU) organizes the event every two years and includes both summer and winter games. Many athletes who secure awards at the Universiade later represent their countries in prestigious international competitions, such as the Olympics, thereby earning the Universiade its nickname ‘Little Olympics.’
(Photo Credit: Wen-Chi Hsu, SSU College Student Sports Network)