Hong Kong’s Lo Wai-fung finishes 7th in Taekwondo at Paris Olympics
Hong Kong Free Press
The first Hong Kong Taekwondo athlete to compete in the Olympic Games has finished seventh in the men’s under-68kg category in Paris.
Lo Wai-fung was beaten by China’s Liang Yushuai in the repechage round early on Friday, marking the end of his Olympic debut.
The 21-year-old fought a tight first round, with a 5-4 defeat. Then, he lost the match after receiving a turning kick to the head as Liang took the second round with a sweeping 13-0 win.
Lo still made history as the first Hongkonger to qualify since Taekwondo was included in the Games in 2000.
‘Distance’
He said in post-match interviews that competing in the Olympics had made him realise the gap between himself and other athletes in the sport.
“After this competition, I realise I am still falling behind some opponents with some distance. I will train harder when I return to Hong Kong for the next competition, and I expect I will do better,” Lo said in Cantonese.
He added his Olympic debut had been a mixture of excitement and nerves, as he competed in the Grand Palais in the French capital.
“The excitement lies in the opportunity to step into the world’s largest competition, whereas the nervousness is having to face so [large an] audience for the first time,” he said. “When the whole world’s attention is on you, you can’t help but feel a little tense.”
Ahead of his trip to France, Lo said then he felt he had a mission in “representing the city’s 100,000-odd Taekwondo lovers.” In the post-match interview, he said the mission had been completed.
“I accept my overall performance, but I believe there is room to improve. Thank you so much for watching my match at such a late hour, thank you,” he said.
According to the Jockey Club’s Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme, Lo is expected to receive HK$375,000 in prize money from the club for his result at the Paris games.
Lo was handed a last-minute spot at the Games after a refugee athlete was disqualified. In the qualification round on Thursday, Lo beat Al Ghotany Yahya of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team with a convincing 14-0, 16-4 win.
But he was denied in the round of 16 by Uzbekistan’s Ulugbek Rashitov, the gold medallist from the Tokyo games three years ago. The Uzbek went on to defend his title in Paris, defeating Zaid Kareem of Jordan with a 5-4, 3-1 result.
Lo was given the chance to fight again in the repechage round as a loser to a finalist.
Liang eventually took bronze for China after his British opponent Bradly Sinden withdrew from the third-place bout due to an injury.
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