Success on the international stage is the ultimate achievement, regardless of the sport or discipline, and Hong Kong’s performance overnight to win two gold and two silver medals at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris stands as a truly extraordinary accomplishment in our sports history.
In a glorious day in the French capital, Team Hong Kong’s athletes embodied Hong Kong’s “Can-Do” and “Play-To-Win” spirit with superb efforts in boccia and badminton.
The momentous feats of John Loung, who won the men’s BC1 boccia final 4-1 over South Korea’s Jung Sung-joon, and Ho Yuen-kei’s 4-2 victory in the women’s BC3 boccia gold medal match over Australia’s Jamieson Leeson, serve as a reminder to the value of skill, determination and resilience.
John, 38, first competed at the Paralympics in 2004 and had not reached the podium until last night. Having taken a five-year sabbatical from the sport because of the pressure of competing at the highest level, John returned to the sport in 2014 and, with an extremely focused performance overnight, he delivered Hong Kong first gold medal of the Paris Paralympics.
Kei, 30, added a second gold medal with a thrilling display, winning the first two ends 2-0 but losing the next two ends 1-0 to win 4-2. A full-time athlete, Kei prepared for Paris by accessing the world-class facilities at the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI), which was established in 1982 by the Government in a funding partnership with the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
An avid blogger on Hong Kong’s famous food and restaurants, Kei is a credit to her city with her remarkable approach to her sport and life in general.
Cheung Yuen, 25, claimed the silver medal in a 1-5 loss to China’s Lin Ximei in the women’s BC4 boccia final, having won the fourth end of the match, Chan Ho Yuen, 39, collected silver in the men’s WH2 badminton final with a 21-10, 21-10 defeat to Japan’s Daiki Kajiwara and Chu Man-kai, 34, lost the men’s SH6 badminton bronze medal match 23-21, 16-21, 21-12 to Brazil’s Vitor Tavares.
Swimmer Chan Yui-lam, who won the silver medal in the women’s S14 100m butterfly final with a time of 1m 03.70s – clipping 0.3 of a second off her own Asian record – finished seventh in the women’s SB14 100m breaststroke final.
Over the weekend, our brilliant teenage swimmer Jasmine Ng Cheuk-yan, at only 14, became the youngest Hong Kong medallist in Paralympic history by snaring the bronze medal in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB6.
Jasmine had earlier finished sixth in the women’s 200m individual medley SM6 in her first Paralympics, beating her personal best.
Collectively, these phenomenal achievements boosted Hong Kong, China’s medal tally to six medals – two gold, three silver and a bronze – eclipsing the city’s efforts in Tokyo where our athletes claimed five medals – two silver and three bronze.
The efforts of our Paralympic team in Paris fills Hong Kong with pride and an is another example of what can be achieved with commitment, determination and drive.
Success is contagious and the examples set by Vivian Kong, Edgar Cheung, Siobhan Haughey and other top athletes at the Paris Olympic Games last month helped lay the foundation for their fellow athletes.
The Club is proud to support all Hong Kong athletes and the achievements of the 23 Hong Kong athletes in Paris for the Paralympics and I look forward to watching their progress over the remaining days of the Games.
The Club is a longstanding supporter of Hong Kong athletes and, under the Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme (JCAIAS), John and Kei will receive HK$1,500,000 each for their gold medal performances; Cheung Yuen and Chan Ho Yuen will collect HK$750,000 each for silver, Chu Man-kai will receive HK$187,500 for fourth and Chan Yui-lam, who had already earned HK$750,000 for her silver, will add HK$93,750 for her seventh.
Overall, our Paris Paralympians will receive HK$6.75 million so far under the JCAIAS.
These awards are richly deserved and the Club, riding on its unique integrated business model, is committed to encouraging everyone to become more engaged with sport. Whether as a spectator or as an active participant and preferably both, we can all take heart from Hong Kong’s “Can-Do spirit’ as so brilliantly demonstrated by our Paralympic and Olympic athletes.
Comment
