Wang Chieh Ling (Photo World Taekwondo)
There was a familiar face on top of the podium on day one of the Tashkent 2026 Junior Championships, as Chinese Taipei’s Chieh Ling Wang followed her gold medal at Chuncheon 2024 with another in the Uzbek capital.
Two years ago in Korea, Wang was triumphant in the W-44kg weight category. She has since moved up to W-46kg, but was in even more formidable form in Tashkent as she took gold without dropping a round.
“The most challenging part is the strength and speed of the opponents. It is completely different,” she said of the higher weight category.
However, Wang proved more than a match for all of her opponents in Tashkent. While she viewed this competition in the same manner as Chuncheon 2024, she feels there are ways in which she has improved as an athlete in just over 18 months.
“I felt really happy and also very touched. The competition means a lot to me, so winning the gold makes me feel different. It is a much deeper emotion,” she reflected.
“I think my ability to control the match has improved. I can manage the pace and take more initiative during the fight.”
Wang’s crowning moment came with a stunning performance in the W-46kg final against Russia’s Elizaveta Bystrova, when she won a high-scoring first round 26-17 then made a rapid start to the second round to seal victory by points gap.
She credits her coach for instilling this front-footed approach which plays to her strengths.
“I think it’s my ability to take initiative during the fight, that is my characteristic,” Wang said.
Wang will move into senior competition next year, and stands in great stead after a rare double triumph at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.
“I think the gold medal this time represents a perfect and complete ending for my high school life, so that makes me fully prepared for my senior life in Taekwondo,” she said.
Wang enjoys the feeling of winning, and plans to continue following the same principles which have already guided her to huge success at a young age.
“My inspiration is because I like the feeling of winning. I want to keep doing that to make it better,” she added.
“I will keep training hard as usual, and focus on the basic skills to do better in every competition in the future.”
With two junior world titles already in her collection, the Taekwondo world will be watching closely when Wang makes her move into the senior ranks. If her record so far is anything to go by, her ambition of competing at the Olympic Games is a very achievable one.
