Team SAR bowls over opponents
Four-time Paralympian John Loung kicked off a medal spree for the SAR at the men's boccia individual BC1 final.
The 38-year-old took a commanding lead after three ends against South Korea's Jung Sungjoon, and held on for a 4-1 victory.
Coach Marco Lau revealed Loung didn't think it was possible to reach the final, let alone win a gold medal.
"Thank you to our head coach, Kwok Hart-wing, and other coaches who have helped him a lot," Lau said after the match.
"Also, a thank you to Leung Yuk-wing for assisting his teammates quite a bit in their training," he added, citing the veteran SAR bowler.
Just hours later, Ho Yuen-kei clinched a second gold medal for Hong Kong at the South Paris Arena.
The third time has proven to be a charm for Ho, who defeated Australia's Jamieson Leeson 4-2 in the women's individual BC3 final.
"This gold medal isn't just for me. It's for everyone who helped me and for all the audience," she said.
"I hope our 23 athletes at the Paralympics in France show that we aren't just doing well because we have worked very hard despite our disabilities. We want to send a message that we're all the same and share the Hong Kong spirit of never giving up."
Fellow bowler Annie Cheung added a silver medal for the SAR.
The Paralympic debutant was defeated by China's Lin Ximei at the women's individual BC4.
"I am not very satisfied with my overall performance ... I was too nervous, so I wasn't playing as freely as I should, but I am still very happy to be able to win a silver medal," Cheung said as she looked ahead to the mixed pairs competition.
Chan bows out on a high note
Wheelchair badminton star Daniel Chan finished on the podium for the second straight Games, this time winning a silver as he lowered the curtain for his illustrious career.
The 39-year-old veteran was beaten by world number one Japanese Daiki Kajiwara in straight games of 10-21 in the men's singles WH2.
The result was still one step better than his bronze-medal finish in Tokyo three years ago.
Speaking after the match, a tearful Chan said waist pain affected his performance.
"I really put in a lot of effort. Before the competition, my waist was so painful that I couldn't even turn around. I had to ask the therapist for help, and take medication," he revealed.
"I want to compete like a 20-year-old, but I haven't been able to do that in recent years."
But there was heartbreak for fellow SAR shuttler Chu Man-kai, who missed out on a medal after losing to his Brazil's Vitor Tavares 2-1 in the men's singles SH6 bronze medal match.
Ping pong conquests come up short
It wasn't quite a happy ending for the two Hong Kong table tennis players either.
Leung Chung-yan concluded his Paralympic debut when he was beaten in the last 16 of the men's singles MS11 by Peter Palos of Hungary.
In the women's, Ng Mui-wui also bowed out after losing to her Brazilian opponent 3-0 in the WS11 singles round of 16.
In the pool, swimmer Chan Yui-lam finished seventh in the women's 100 metres breaststroke SB14 final.
She earlier won a silver medal for Hong Kong in the 100 metres butterfly S14 final.
No slowing down for China gold rush
The national team claimed 10 more golds in badminton, archery, shooting, and boccia to extend their lead on the medal table.
In an all-Chinese final of the women's badminton singles, Li Fengmei defeated compatriot Lin Shuangbao 2-0 to clinch gold.
Team China also added another three silvers and three bronzes to its tally.
