Speedskater Clinches Taiwan’s First Gold in Skating Championship

Beidaihe: Taiwanese speed skater Kuo Li-yang on Saturday won a gold medal in the men's 200-meter dual time track final at the Speed Skating World Championships 2025 held in China's Beidaihe. With a time of 17.599 seconds, the 22-year-old skater's win marked Taiwan's first-ever gold medal in the tournament. According to Focus Taiwan, Kuo expressed his excitement over the victory, highlighting the significance of on-the-spot performance in the 200-meter race where even the smallest error can be pivotal. Kuo began skating in preschool and started competing at the national level while in elementary school. Achieving "world champion" status, he expressed gratitude towards his family for their support and thanked the coach who introduced him to the sport. Liu Yu-shen, a coach accompanying the Chinese Taipei Team, anticipated Kuo's success in reaching the podium. He praised Kuo for giving "120 percent effort," noting how well Kuo handled the curves and extended his front skate at the finish line, demonstrating his determination to secure the gold medal. The silver and bronze medals in the event were claimed by Jhoan Guzman of Spain and Vincenzo Maiorca from Italy, respectively. In August, Kuo had secured a silver in the same event at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu.