Hong Kong boccia players Ho Yuen-kei and Tse Tak-wah win gold at Paris Paralympics
Hong Kong Free Press
The Hong Kong boccia team has won its third gold medal and another silver at the Paris Paralympics, topping the boccia medals table.
Boccia players Ho Yuen-kei and Tse Tak-wah played Korea’s Jeong Howon and Kang Sunhee in the BC4 mixed pairs gold medal match on Thursday night in Paris, clinching gold with a final score of 5:3.
The Hong Kong duo scored three points before a comeback from Korea that brought the score to 3:3. Ho and Tse broke the tie, then proceeded to score another point to top the podium.
Thursday’s boccia win brought Hong Kong’s Paralympic tally to three gold medals, while bowlers Annie Cheung and Leung Yuk-wing took silver in the BC3 finals against Colombia, placing Hong Kong at the top of the boccia scoreboard at the 2024 games.
The Hong Kong Paralympics team now has three gold medals, four silver, and one bronze.
The boccia winning streak began when John Loung and third-time Paralympian Ho both clinched gold on Monday in their individual events.
Ho said in a post-match interview with Hong Kong media that the team’s results were a testament to their efforts: “We’ve been working so hard in the past few years. Outside of training, we didn’t have much time to spend with our family and friends.”
Speaking through an interpreter, Tse said: “We missed out of a medal last time, so I’m really happy we won this time.”
Chief Executive John Lee congratulated the athletes in a statement released on Friday morning.
“The four athletes performed at their best and showed superb skills with team spirit in the competitions. Among them, Leung Yuk-wing, who represents Hong Kong, China to participate in Paralympics for the sixth time, won a medal again. His achievements are remarkable.”
“All Hong Kong people and I are proud of the outstanding performance and professionalism of the four athletes. I call on members of the public to continue to follow the latest updates about the delegation and support Hong Kong athletes,” he said.
Separately, the Hong Kong women’s wheelchair foil fencing team fell short of a spot on the podium after losing in the silver and bronze medal matches. Alison Yu, Fan Pui-shan, Tong Nga-ting and Irene Chung progressed to the semifinals after beating Ukraine 45:38, but lost to Hungary in a 29:45 defeat, then to Italy, 33:45.
Yu landed 12 touches in the third round, taking the lead for the Hong Kong team before falling behind in the following bouts. She brought the score to 31:39 in the eighth round, before Italy took the last six points it needed to clinch bronze.
“It’s already a spectacular feat to be able to participate at the Paralympics,” Yu told Hong Kong media after the match.
“We all played well, to the best of our abilities,” said Chung, who lost 2:6 in the final bout. “This was my first time being the final fencer, so I know how stressful it can be. I tried my best to play how I usually would while training back in Hong Kong.”
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