Another Deaflympics for Chinese Taipei’s Peng Siting
Chinese Taipei’s Peng Siting, a 37-year-old Taekwondo athlete, has qualified for her fourth consecutive Deaflympics, as reported by local FTV News. She is prepared to compete in the women’s 67kg category and the individual poomsae event at the upcoming Games.
Peng Siting’s sports career features a gold medal won at the 2015 Asia Pacific Deaf Games. At the 2017 Samsun Deaflympics, she earned a bronze medal in the women’s 49 kg category and another bronze in the mixed doubles poomsae event alongside Sun Shuliang. During her bronze medal match in 2017, she suffered a right shoulder injury but persisted in competing and ultimately succeeded.
Her coach, Wu Qilin, is a former notable Taekwondo athlete who achieved gold medals at both the 1990 Asian Championships and the 1991 World Cup. Wu also returned to compete in national team selections for sparring at the age of 38 and currently coaches in the poomsae area. Peng Siting has been training with Wu Qilin, who also trained her when she was picked for the national team in 2017.
Peng Siting had not participated in competitions for eight years after the 2017 Samsun Deaflympics. During this period, she has been employed as a teacher at Dayuan High School while also teaching at a Taekwondo club, which restricted her training time in comparison to her earlier career. In April of the previous year, while getting ready for the national team selection, Peng experienced a right ankle sprain that led to a torn ligament. She chose physical therapy and strength training as her path to recovery.
In addition to her activities in Taekwondo, Peng Siting has also participated in deaf basketball, having been selected for the national team in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2024. Her involvement in both sports at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics will be contingent upon the competition regulations and event scheduling, with taekwondo being her main priority.
For the forthcoming Deaflympics, Peng Siting will take part in the women’s 67kg category, advancing from her previous 49kg division. Her competitive aspirations include aiming for a top-three position in sparring and seeking a medal in the individual poomsae event. Even as she recognizes the growing competitiveness in international taekwondo and the shift towards younger competitors, Peng remains driven to win, finding inspiration in her coach’s own experience of competing at an older age.
Comments
0 comment