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Veteran fencer Yu vows to bounce back after day six

2024-09-04 HKT 08:23
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  • Six-time Paralympian Alison Yu (left) is aiming for her 12th Paralympic medal, but came up short in the sabre competition. Photo: Reuters
    Six-time Paralympian Alison Yu (left) is aiming for her 12th Paralympic medal, but came up short in the sabre competition. Photo: Reuters
  • Natasha Tse said she needs more time to bond with her horse after finishing 15th in the dressage. Photo courtesy: China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee
    Natasha Tse said she needs more time to bond with her horse after finishing 15th in the dressage. Photo courtesy: China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee
  • Ho Yuen-kei (right) is eyeing her second medal in Paris by teaming up with Tse Tak-wah in the mixed pairs competition. Photo courtesy: China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee
    Ho Yuen-kei (right) is eyeing her second medal in Paris by teaming up with Tse Tak-wah in the mixed pairs competition. Photo courtesy: China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee
  • Veteran Leung Yuk-wing is looking to bounce back from his disappointment in the individual competition. Photo courtesy: China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee
    Veteran Leung Yuk-wing is looking to bounce back from his disappointment in the individual competition. Photo courtesy: China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee
Kelly Yu reports
Team Hong Kong, China made steady progress on the sixth day of the Paris Paralympics, with the bowlers remaining on course for more medals in boccia.

Fencers put on valiant effort

Wheelchair fencers kicked off their campaign in the French capital, but had relatively brief stints on the piste.

Six-time Paralympian Alison Yu earned a bye in the round of 32 as the 10th seed of the women's sabre category A.

The classification is for fencers with good sitting balance and impairments affecting their lower limbs.


The 40-year-old made a winning start in the last 16, but was beaten 4-15 by Georgia's Nino Tibilashvili in the quarter-final.

Yu fell into the repechages, where she was eliminated by Gemma Collis of Great Britain.

She admitted sabre wasn't her strong suit.

"My goal before the event was simply to win one match. I’ve achieved it by winning the first match," the seven-time gold medallist said.

"Later on, my swordsmanship was a bit lacking compared to other players. What's good about the day was that I could adapt to the venue and the cheers of the audience. I also saw many friends from Hong Kong in the crowd showing their support."

Fan Pui-shan was also sent packing from the women's sabre, after being edged out by South Korea's Kwon Hyo-kyeong in the round of 32.

The 49-year-old fencer lost 8-15 in category A.

"For me, I treated the sabre competition as a warm-up match, because sabre fencing isn't my strong suit. I mainly enjoyed it and got the feel of things," she said.


In category B for fencers with an impairment that impacts their sitting balance or fencing arm, Tong Nga-ting was unable to advance after she was beaten by her South Korean rival in the repechage.

The SAR fencers now look ahead to the foil competitions.

Equestrian seeking chemistry with equine partner


Meanwhile, the SAR’s sole dressage rider concluded her rodeo at the Chateau de Versailles.

Natasha Tse was placed 15th out of 22 entrants in the grade one individual championship test.

Only the top eight riders progressed to the individual freestyle event.

Tse competed with her new horse, Juno's Whispering Angel.

The four-time Paralympian said she's still figuring out how to team up well with her new equine partner.

"We've worked together about a dozen times over the past few months. We're still getting the hang of things. Its performance is okay, but there's plenty of room for improvement. When I was preparing for the Paralympics, I hurt my waist, but I pushed through to finish the competition," Tse said.

Mixed bag on the courts


Hong Kong's boccia players continued their dominance, with two mixed pairs both advancing to the quarter-finals in their respective categories.

Annie Cheung and Leung Yuk-wing remain unbeaten in the BC4 class as they look to make it three wins in a row against their Slovak opponents on Wednesday afternoon, Hong Kong time.


Individual gold medallist Ho Yuen-kei and Tse Tak-wah also punched their ticket to the last eight of the BC3, and will next face Team Brazil on Wednesday evening.


Elsewhere in Paris, table tennis player Wong Ting-ting bowed out of the last eight of the women’s singles WS11, after losing 3-0 yo a Russian athlete competing under a neutral banner in the last eight.

China breaks century mark in medal tally


Team China remains invincible as it continues to top the medal table, after sealing 10 golds, 10 silvers and eight bronzes on day six.



In athletics, Zou Lijuan took gold in the women's F34 shot put, while world record holder Zhang Liangmin came out swinging by winning her fourth consecutive title in the women's discus throw F11.

Veteran fencer Yu vows to bounce back after day six