Credit: X
Chen Shih-hsin, who is the first Taiwanese athlete tow in a gold medal at the Olympics opened up on how Bollywood blockbuster ‘Dangal’ featuring Aamir Khan motivated her. Not only this, but Chen also mentioned how the film had an ‘uncanny resemblance’ with her life. Notably, Dangal, a 2016 drama has inspired many people across the globe, as it portrays the journey of Mahavir Singh Phogat and his daughters Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat, two world-class female wrestlers of India.
Chen told NDTV, “When I watched Dangal with Chinese subtitles a few years ago, I noticed an uncanny resemblance between the wrestlers’ father and my own. My father was a hard taskmaster, much like the father portrayed in the film. I feel he was even tougher on me.” Notably, Chen’s father ran a Taekwondo training center and introduced her to martial arts at the age of five.
She said that she used to despise his relentless push and as a result, she ran away from home and reunited with him years later. The Olympian medallist said, “Yes, you could call me a chip off the old block when it comes to inheriting my father’s grit and toughness, similar to the characters in Dangal.”
Notably, Shih-hsin created history by winning the gold medal in 49 kg category in taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics. The 45-year-old now teaches around 100 children at her Taekwondo institute in Xinfeng near Hsinchu.
