TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei (楊勇緯) broke his silence on Instagram Thursday (Aug. 1) following his exit from the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Yang, the top seed in the men's 60kg judo category, lost to Kazakhstan's Yeldos Smetov in the quarterfinals and Japan's Ryuju Nagayama in the repechage on July 28, missing out on a bronze medal.
Declining interviews immediately after his matches, Yang took three days to process his emotions before addressing his followers. He expressed gratitude for the support and messages he received, stating that although the results were not what he had hoped for, he had prepared thoroughly and given his all.
Yang also expressed his gratitude to his family for always being his strongest support, unconditionally encouraging and backing him regardless of the outcome. He assured them not to worry, and that he will stay strong and keep moving forward.
Yang also thanked his team, highlighting their deep bonds through shared experiences and mutual growth, and emphasized that he would never forget his original, simple aspirations for practicing judo.
