A female Taiwanese cadet, Hu Chia-lin, has completed a series of grueling tests at the US Naval Academy. Hu said on Tuesday that she was able to complete the 14-hour long sea trials with the encouragement of other cadets despite suffering from a knee injury.
The completion of the tests represents a rite of passage for first year cadets at the academy and tests their mental strength and toughness.
Hu was the only female from Taiwan's armed forces to study at a U.S. military academy on a government scholarship last year. She said she was a bit frustrated by the relapse of an injury to her right knee in the middle of drills, but she insisted on finishing after undergoing the necessary examinations.
Hu's elder sister also received a government scholarship to study in the U.S. and attended The Citadel, a military college in South Carolina.