
“When I watched Dangal with Chinese subtitles a few years ago, I noticed an uncanny resemblance between the wrestlers’ fathers and myself,” says Chen Shihsan, an Olympic gold medalist from Taiwan.
Chen won the gold medal in taekwondo in the women’s flyweight division (49-kg category) at the 2004 Athens Olympics, ending a 72-year gold medal drought for Taiwan. Despite being an independent democracy with its own constitution and legislature, Taiwan competes in the Olympics under the fictitious name “Chinese Taipei”—it is neither part of China nor fully comprised of the city of Taipei (which is 23 is one of the cities in the island nation).
“My father was a tough taskmaster, just like the father portrayed in the movie. I think he was even tougher on me,” Chen shares as she visits the rural town of Sinfeng, near Taiwan’s semiconductor hub. She teaches about 100 children in her Taekwondo school. , Sancho.
“Yes, you can call me chip off the old block when it comes to inheriting my father’s courage and toughness, which is like the characters in Dangal,” admits Chan, whose life story has been dramatized. And full of emotional twists.
She is half-Aboriginal, as her mother is from the local Atial community in Taiwan. His father, Chen Wei-shiung, ran a taekwondo training center in Taipei and introduced him to martial arts at the age of five. At the age of 15, Chen had already made his mark on the world stage by winning his first appearance at the 1994 World Cup in the Cayman Islands. Two years later, he won his second world title in Brazil.
However, his career took an unexpected turn after a while. “I despised my father’s relentless push. One day, at the age of 18, I argued with him and ran away from home,” reveals Chen, of his transformation from world champion to “betel nut beauty”. Remembering – this term refers to very little clothing. Young women who sold betel nuts at stalls across Taiwan.
After abandoning her family and taekwondo, Chen survived by selling betel nut and other products at Taichung. “I felt like a rebel, just like that girl in a Bollywood movie who rebelled after joining the national team. But contrary to her apparent opposition, I just quit,” shared Chen. she does.
Three years later, a poignant line in a radio ad about a son unable to take care of his elderly parents on their birthdays prompts him to return home. Reunited with her father, she vows to resume her training and pursue her Olympic dream together. However, a missed three years allowed him to compete at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where taekwondo debuted as an Olympic medal sport.
“Being alone for those three years gave me strength, which helped me deal with the disappointment of missing the Sydney Games,” explains Chen.
Her indomitable spirit and her father’s unwavering support fueled her rigorous preparation for the next four years. “When I got to Athens, my biggest opponent was me, not my rivals from Cuba, Nepal, Canada, or Nicaragua,” she reflects.
“Olympic gold was our shared dream.” Chen continues, “Opening a taekwondo gym and running it for decades was as much my father’s goal as it was mine. His ultimate goal was to bring an Olympic gold medal to the gym.”
On August 26, Chen made history by defeating Cuban rival Yaneles Labrada to win the first gold medal for his “invisible” nation, himself and, most importantly, his father.
“Over the years, I’ve fought countless matches, shed many tears, and accumulated countless injuries. The final match in Athens was worth it,” she says.
At the age of 25, Chen decided to retire. “These past twenty years have been difficult, but I have been fortunate to avoid serious injuries thanks to my father’s meticulous training,” she notes.
Despite achieving her Olympic dream, Chen’s life continued to resemble a gritty movie script. He earned a PhD in sports psychology, a position as an associate professor at a prestigious university, and started a family with two children. However, personal turmoil struck again.
An alleged extramarital affair with a fellow coach tarnished her reputation, forcing her to resign from a university position, leave her home, and hand over custody of her daughter to her estranged husband. Still, Chen rose from the ashes and moved to Xinfeng with his son.
Today, Chen teaches taekwondo to local children at her self-styled dojang, away from the public eye and the hustle and bustle of Taipei. Although her Athens Olympic gold medal remains at her father’s house, she now dreams of winning a gold medal for her taekwondo school.
(Swam Pal works for Taiwan Plus News Channel based in Taipei)