Lee Chih-kai (left) and Lin Yu-hsin /Photo courtesy of CNA
Taipei, Dec. 12 (CNA) Taiwanese artistic gymnast Lee Chih-kai and badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying received the 2018 Taiwan Sports Elite Awards for best male and female athlete, respectively, in Taipei on Wednesday.
The world No. 1 boys' tennis player, 17-year-old Tseng Chun-hsin, was named best new athlete, while gymnastics coach Lin Yu-hsin won the best coach title at the awards, which are presented annually by the Ministry of Education Sports Administration.
It was Tseng's second award in two days, having won the annual junior world champion award presented by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) on Tuesday.
Lee clinched a gold medal in the men's pommel horse event at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series tournament in Cottbus, Germany, last month and won another gold at Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games in August.
He beat out several other strong competitors for the Taiwan Sports Elite award, including sprinter Hank Yang and another artistic gymnast Tang Chia-hung, who won a gold in the horizontal bar category at the Asian Games in August.
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Tai, who is ranked the No. 1 female badminton player in the world, has won eight championships and two silver medals in women's singles in Badminton World Federation (BWF) tournaments this year.
She has held the world No.1 spot for 104 weeks, racking up 101,667 points in a single year, and also won the Taiwan Sports Elite Award for best female athlete in 2015.
Lin, who coaches Lee and Tang, has been honored for his outstanding contribution to Taiwan's athletic development. He has been a gymnastic coach for 16 years.
Vice President Chen Chien-jen said at Wednesday's ceremony that the awards honor individuals and groups that serve as role models and inspiration to young athletes.
