Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/04/10
By: Lee Chin-wei and S.C. Chang

Taipei, April 10 (CNA) Olympic medalists Will Claye of the United States and Dong Bin of China will be among the top athletes participating in the Asian Athletics Association’s first-ever Grand Prix meet in Taipei on April 30, Taiwan sports officials said Monday.

Taipei will host the third leg of the AAA’s Asian Grand Prix circuit, following a stop in Jiaxing, China on April 24 and another one in Jinhua, China on April 27, to serve as a test for the 2017 Taipei Universiade, they said.

Joining Claye and Dong, the silver and bronze medalist in the triple jump at the 2016 Rio Olympics, will be Nadiya Dusanova of Uzbekistan, who won bronze in the women’s high jump at the 2014 Asian Games, according to the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association officials.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: April 10, 2017
By: Kuan-lin Liu

Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎), the world’s topped ranked women’s singles badminton

player, added the Malaysia Open to back-to-back Super Series wins Sunday.

The 22-year old beat out Spain’s Carolina Marin during Sunday’s final, rallying to victory after losing the first game of the match.

Tai was the only Taiwanese player who made it into the tournament’s last eight. After successfully winning matches against China’s Chen Yufei (陳雨菲) in the quarterfinals and South Korea’s Sung Ji-hyun (成池鉉) in the semifinals, Tai faced off against Marin for the Women’s Singles title and a prize of US$600,000 (NT$18.3276 million).

Tai’s opponent Marin currently ranks third on the Badminton World Federation in the women’s Women’s Singles rankings. She previously held the No. 1 spot from 2014 to 2015.    [FULL  STORY]

‘ICHIRO AURA’:The Taiwanese pitcher had not reached base in 57 previous at-bats and said that a bat change and maybe Ichiro Suzuki’s presence played some part

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 09, 2017
By: AP, NEW YORK

Taiwan’s Chen Wei-yin sent a slow roller toward shortstop. When Asdrubal Cabrera

picked up the ball on the infield grass and realized there was no point making a throw, the pitcher crossed first base with his first major-league hit after an 0-for-51 start at the plate.

“I think this is the fastest I ever ran as a hitter to first base,” Chen said through a translator.

“They were just congratulating me and also giving me high fives,” he said. “We joked about it and talked about it. It’s kind of special to have my first hit as an infield hit.”

Chen also got the win, giving up one run and seven hits over six innings on Friday night to lead the Miami Marlins over the New York Mets 7-2.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 09, 2017
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Taiwan’s “Mulan” national women’s soccer team lost to Thailand 1-0 on Friday, failing to

advance from Group C qualifiers for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Jordan next year.

Thailand secured top spot in Group C with the win after a goal from a free-kick by striker Suchawadee Nildhamrong in the third minute at the Faisal al-Husseini International Stadium in the West Bank, Palestine.

Suchawadee just missed out on another goal when she blazed just over the crossbar.

The Mulan pressed for an equalizer, but Thailand goalkeeper Waraporn Boonsing made saves on shots by midfielders Chen Yen-ping and Yu Hsiu-chin before halftime.    [FULL  STORY]

PITCHING HUNCH:The win was the second in the three-game series and Brothers manager Cory Snyder praised Cheng Chih-hung for his role in the opening victory

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 09, 2017
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

The Brothers Baseball Club scored four runs in the opening frame on their way to a 9-7

win at the Sinjhuang Stadium in New Taipei City yesterday, handing the hapless Fubon Guardians their ninth consecutive defeat this CPBL season.

Fubon lefty starter Chris Seddon of the US got into early trouble, with the Brothers loading the base on two walks and a hit in the first inning.
With one out, Brothers second baseman Chiang Chih-hsien drilled an offering from Seddon over the outfield wall for a grand slam and a 4-0 lead.

The Brothers piled up more runs in later
innings, but Fubon fought back with seven runs in the final three frames.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: April 8, 2017
By: Joseph Yeh

Major League Baseball (MLB) kicked off its 2017 season earlier this week, but two of

the most renowned Taiwanese major leaguers, who enjoyed popularity both locally and on the global stage, may be heading to retirement soon.

The two are former New York Yankee’s ace starter Chien-Ming Wang (王建民) and ex-Los Angeles Dodgers all-star setup man Hong-Chih Kuo (郭泓志).

Wang, Yankees starting pitcher from 2005 to 2008, who once had back-to-back 19-win seasons in 2006 and 2007, has been almost synonymous with Taiwanese baseball for nearly a decade. Kuo, meanwhile, was one of the National League’s top relievers during 2008-10 with the Dodgers and the first Taiwanese player ever to play in MLB’s All-Star Game in 2010.

The lefty is also the first Taiwanese to hit a home run in the MLB despite being a pitcher by trade.

Both players have shined in the world’s top-level baseball league for years but were plagued recently with on and off injuries — likely brought on by aging — and have been patiently waiting for their chance to return to the big time.

After bouncing around the minor leagues for three years, Wang signed a minor-league contract with the Kansas City Royals during the 2016 offseason, before they included him on its 25-man roster for the 2016 season. He became an inspiring story after claiming his first MLB win in nearly three years in May 2016 with the Royals, before ultimately finishing last season with a perfect 6-0 record and a 4.22 ERA in 53 1/3 innings.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 06, 2017
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

A big home run by the Lamigo Monkeys’ Liu “Doraemon” Shih-hao dominated sports

headlines in Taiwan and also drew the attention of a Major League Baseball (MLB) writer, while the Monkeys were seeking to maintain their winning ways in the CPBL, going to extra innings in their game against the Brothers Baseball Club at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium at press time last night.

In the second contest of a double-header against the Fubon Guardians in Taoyuan on Sunday evening, the home side won 6-5 in dramatic fashion.

The Monkeys trailed 3-4 late in the eighth inning, but had runners on the corners, prompting Lamigo manager Hung Yi-chung to call upon reserve catcher Liu to pinch hit.

Liu pulled the trigger on the first pitch, sending it over the rightfield fence for a three-run homer that put his team into the lead.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/04/04
By: Liu Chien-pang and Lilian Wu

Taipei, April 4 (CNA) The executive committee of the 2017 Taipei Universiade said

Tuesday that it plans to offer a course to about 1,000 athletic trainers, teaching them how to assist competitors at the second largest multi-sports event in the world, scheduled to take place later this year.

About 12,000 athletes from 150 countries will take part in the Universiade from Aug. 19-30.

The committee said it has invited experts to lecture as part of the program and those who attend the class will be required to have a physical therapist or athletic trainer license.

In Taiwan most athletic trainers graduated from departments of physical education, and tend to focus on pre-game injury prevention and urgent treatment such as muscle taping and relaxation to prevent exacerbating injuries, on the sideline of sporting competitions.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/04/02
By: Lee Chin-wei and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, April 2 (CNA) Taiwan’s Wen Tzu-yun won (文姿云) won a bronze medal Sunday

in the women’s 55-kg event at the Karate Dubai Open 2017, defeating Iran’s Barzegarvaskasi Zohreh 3-0.

Wen snatched the medal after cruising past her Macau opponent 5-4, Turkish rival 2-1 and Indonesian opponent during the tournament which opened last Friday.

Wen won a gold medal of the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea in 2014 and a bronze medal for 55kg female kumite at the 23rd World Karatedo Championships in 2016. She will set her sights on the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 after the Dubai tournament.     [FULL  STORY]