TOPSHOT-OLY-YOUTH-2026-WUSHU
Taiwanese taekwondo athlete Cheng Po-yu defeated an Uzbek athlete 2-1 in the men's 55kg final at the 2026 Dhaka Youth Olympic Games to win the gold medal, securing the second gold medal for the Taiwanese delegation at this event.

Taiwan’s delegation won another gold medal at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games. <chrome_annotation role="link">Taiwanese taekwondo athlete Zheng Boyu came from behind to defeat Uzbekistan’s Asadbek Samandarov 2-1 in the men’s 55kg final on Nov. 9, giving Taiwan its second gold medal of the Games.

According to a Nov. 10 report by Central News Agency (CNA), Zheng faced Samandarov, a former world youth championship gold medalist, and lost the first round 0-2. He adjusted his pace, however, and leveled the match in the second round.

The two fighters continued to trade points after the match went into the deciding third round. Zheng scored a crucial point with 26 seconds remaining and eventually won the round 6-4, completing a 2-1 comeback victory.

Zheng is currently a student at Pingzhen Senior High School in Taoyuan. The gold medal also made him Taiwan’s third Youth Olympic taekwondo champion. Huang Huai-hsuan and Huang Yu-jen previously won taekwondo gold medals at the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games.

Zheng’s victory was also Taiwan’s second gold medal at this year’s Dakar Youth Olympics. Table tennis player Chen Min-hsin had earlier won the women’s singles title.

Taiwan team coach Chang Chiung-fang said Samandarov had been identified before the competition as Zheng’s main rival. She said Zheng demonstrated improved footwork and adaptability during the bout, ultimately turning the match around.

After the match, Zheng said he hoped his performance would earn recognition from the teachers and students at his school. He also said he looked forward to becoming, like his senior teammate Lee Meng-en, an athlete who would inspire and be remembered by students on campus.

The Youth Olympic Games are a multisport international event organized by the International Olympic Committee for young athletes. The Games give competitors from around the world a chance to compete on the international stage while helping develop future elite athletes.

Zheng’s comeback victory added another international sporting achievement to Taiwan’s record and again drew attention to the results of Taiwan’s training programs for young taekwondo athletes.