▎HONOR

Yen-Chen Ting, a student in the Department of Business Administration at National Taiwan University, brought home the gold medal for Taiwan in the men’s singles badminton event at the 2025 Rhine-Ruhr Summer World University Games in Germany. Displaying exceptional skill and composure, Ting achieved a flawless run—winning six consecutive matches without dropping a single game.

In the semifinals, Ting defeated his opponent 15–7, 15–6 to secure a place in the gold medal match, where he went on to beat France’s world No. 80 Enogat Roy with an impressive 15–8, 15–5 victory. This marks Ting’s first-ever gold medal podium finish in an international competition.

At just 21 years old, Ting entered NTU as a student-athlete specializing in badminton. Balancing academic studies with his athletic career, he continues to compete in Taiwan’s top-tier domestic tournaments. At the World University Games, Ting’s consistency and mental resilience shone through as he advanced from the round of 64, defeating players from Malta, the Netherlands, Canada, Malaysia, and China, before sealing the championship with tactical precision and composure under pressure.

Reflecting on the experience, Ting admitted that winning gold was an unexpected delight. “I didn’t enter the tournament with a medal as my goal. I simply focused on each match, enjoyed the game, and played with courage,” he said. Ting expressed his gratitude for the national training resources, his coaches, and his teammates, and shared his ambition to break into the world’s top 50 rankings and ultimately compete on the Olympic stage.

Prof. Chih-I Chen, head of NTU’s badminton team, praised Ting’s achievement: “Congratulations to Yen-Chen for his outstanding performance at the World University Games. He has brought honor to both the nation and the university, and set an example for future NTU athletes. We look forward to seeing him excel in both academics and sports.”