Chun-Han Yao wins in Men’s 400 meters, breaking “Wei-Kuo’s Record”

On the day marking the 117^th Anniversary of Soochow University, also the School Sports Day, held on March 11, Chun-Han Yao, a History major, took first place in the Men’s 400-meter event with a time of 54.25 seconds, breaking “Wei-Kuo’s Record” to become the second record-breaker after Po-Wei Huang.

“Wei-Kuo’s Record” dates back to 1980 when alumnus Wei-Kuo Wu finished first in the Men’s 400-meter run in 55 seconds, a record never broken until last year by Po-Wei Huang, a Sociology major, with a time of 54.11 seconds. Record-breakers are awarded NTD 10,000 provided by Wu since 2000.

This year Yao, the record-holder of the Men’s 800-meter run, won the Men’s 400-meter race with a time of 54.25 seconds, becoming the second individual to break “Wei-Kuo’s Record” after Huang, though he failed to break Huang’s record. Yao said breaking the record was not the most important thing for him; rather, his priority was surpassing his own previous best time. He noted that the School Sports Day is a good opportunity for athletes to push themselves to do their best to achieve glory, and for students in general to learn the value of sportsmanship.

Huang, the record-holder of the Men’s 400- meter run, though unable to defend his crown this year due to a muscle strain, still managed to finish the race in dogged style. He said he would participate in next year’s event to try to break his record.