TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Olympic weightlifter Fang Wan-ling (方莞靈) demonstrated remarkable resilience Monday (April 28), capturing a silver medal in the women's 49-kilogram division at the prestigious National Intercollegiate Athletic Games (全大運), Taiwan's premier university sports competition. Competing through a nagging foot injury, Fang still managed impressive lifts of 78 kilograms in the snatch and 95 kilograms in the clean and jerk for a combined total of 173 kilograms, showcasing her determination despite physical limitations.
Competing for National Cheng Kung University (NCKU, 成功大學), one of Taiwan's top academic institutions, Fang deliberately employed a cautious approach to protect her healing foot. Despite lifting significantly below her capabilities, the Olympian expressed contentment with her performance given the circumstances. Her current lifts stand in contrast to her remarkable showing at last year's Paris Olympics, where she competed through injury yet still posted a snatch of 86 kilograms and a clean and jerk of 107 kilograms for a combined 193 kilograms—good enough for sixth place globally while establishing both personal and national records in the snatch and total weight categories.
The Olympic weightlifter has now set her sights on the upcoming Asian Weightlifting Championships (舉重亞錦賽), a major continental competition featuring Asia's elite lifters. Fang revealed that her original recovery plan had included only participating in the October Taiwan National Games (全運會), the island's quadrennial multi-sport event comparable to a national Olympics. The strategic shift to enter both tournaments came after she determined that remaining sidelined from international competition for an entire year could potentially hamper her competitive edge and ranking position.
Fang's competitive calendar faces additional complexity with the International Weightlifting Federation's (IWF) upcoming revision of weight classifications scheduled for June implementation. The October Taiwan National Games will consequently serve as her farewell competition in the familiar 49-kilogram division before she must drop down to the new 48-kilogram category. "Everyone can look forward to seeing a slimmer version of me," Fang remarked with characteristic humor while acknowledging the significant challenge posed by the category adjustment. She outlined a methodical approach to the transition, planning to begin her weight management program after completing the Asian Championships, with timing contingent upon her ongoing injury recovery. ★