Lin's mentor at Hsihu Vocational School, Pan Jui-ken, remembers that Lin was less than 155 cm tall at the time. He looked like a sixth-grader, standing with his suitcase in his hand and asking to join the track team.
林義傑在西湖工商的恩師潘瑞根記得，當時看到身高還不到 155 公分、看起來就像小六生的林義傑，拎著行李毛遂自薦要求進入田徑隊時，還以為他是從桃園龍潭「小人國」裡跑出來的。