Ku Chin-shui (Chinese: 古金水; pinyin: Gǔ Jīnshuǐ; Wade–Giles: Ku Chin-shui, 15 January 1960 – 25 May 2016) was an Amis Taiwanese decathlete and pole vaulter. He medaled for Chinese Taipei at the Asian Athletics Championships six times, winning one gold medal, two silver medals, and three bronze medals. At the 1990 Asian Games, he earned a silver medal in the decathlon. Upon retiring from athletics, he became a physical education teacher.[1]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Native name | 古金水 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Taiwanese | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 15 January 1960 Hualien City, Taiwan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 25 May 2016 (aged 56) Taipei, Taiwan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 古金水 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Chinese Taipei | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Men's track and field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Decathlon, pole vault | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best | Decathlon: 7623 pts (1990) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Post-athletic life edit
On 24 August 1999, an explosion on board a landed Uni Air plane, Flight 873, injured 28 people and killed Ku Jing-chi (C: 古金池, P: Gǔ Jīnchí), the older brother of Ku Chin-shui.
A report from the Aviation Safety Council (ASC) stated that the cause of the fire was the interaction of two luggage items that happened to be in overhead compartments. Firstly, gasoline had leaked from a plastic bottle and, secondly, a motorcycle battery had been jostled, causing an electric arc that ignited fumes from the gasoline.
Prosecutors accused Ku Chin-shui of asking his nephew to take gasoline on the flight.[2] Ku was convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison. Upon appeal, the sentence was shortened to seven and a half years. After a fifth retrial, he was declared not guilty. The ASC had commissioned an analysis from the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, which said the ASC's simulation environment differed from that of the aircraft which had exploded."[2]
The court case caused Ku to lose his teaching position, and he worked part-time at a steel factory until 2008, when he returned to teaching full-time.[3]
Ku was diagnosed with cancer in 2014[4] and died of plasma cell leukemia on 25 May 2016 at National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei.[1] Aged 56 at the time of his death, Ku is survived by his wife and two children.[5]
International competitions edit
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Asian Championships | Kuwait City, Kuwait | 2nd | Pole vault | 4.80 m |
| 2nd | Decathlon | 7438 pts | |||
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 16th | Decathlon | 7629 pts |
| 1985 | Asian Championships | Jakarta, Indonesia | 1st | Decathlon | 7538 pts[nb1] |
| 1987 | Asian Championships | Singapore | 3rd | Pole vault | 5.10 m |
| 1989 | Asian Championships | New Delhi, India | 3rd | Pole vault | 5.20 m |
| 1990 | Asian Games | Beijing, China | 2nd | Decathlon | 7623 pts |
| 1991 | Asian Championships | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 3rd | Pole vault | 5.10 m |
See also edit
- List of Asian Games medalists in athletics
- Uni Air Flight 873, the related aircraft accident
References edit
- ^ a b Chen, Christie; Lu, Hsin-hui (25 May 2016). "Taiwanese decathlete Ku Chin-shui dies at 56". Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016 – via China Post. Alt URL
- ^ a b Yang, Yi-chung; Hsu, Ming-li (14 May 2011). "Man cleared of 1999 Uni Air accident". Taipei Times. Translated by Chung, Jake. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ Shan, Shelley (26 May 2016). "Former track-and-field star Ku Chin-shui dies at 56". Taipei Times. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ^ Liao, George (22 May 2016). "Chi Cheng: Ku Chin-shui still battling cancer". Taiwan News. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ Liao, George (25 May 2016). "Taiwanese decathlete Ku Chin-shui has died". Taiwan News. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ Athletics at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games: Men's Decathlon. Sports Reference. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
External links edit
- Ku Chin-shui at World Athletics
- Ku Chin-shui at Olympedia
- Ku Chin-shui at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
