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Tokyo Paralympics: Hong Kong boccia stars Leung Yuk-wing and Ho Yuen-kei lead mixed pairs teams to big opening day pool wins

  • Both of Hong Kong’s BC3 and BC4 teams seal two wins from two as world No 2s begin pairs medal campaign in style
  • Leung, who was part of Hong Kong’s only Paralympic boccia pairs medal win in 2004, is in top form

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Hong Kong bowlers Leung Yuk-wing and Vivian Lau Wai-yan in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games boccia pairs BC4 pool game at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo. Photo: Hong Kong Paralympic Committee
Hong Kong’s two boccia mixed pairs teams maintained a 100 per cent record on the opening day of their Tokyo 2020 Paralympics preliminary pool games at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre on Thursday.
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BC3 category representatives Ho Yuen-kei and Tse Tak-wah – with reserve Liu Wing-tung, who has yet to compete at the Games – secured a 4-1 win over Portugal’s Avelina Andrade, Ana Costa and Jose Machado in pool B the morning. Hong Kong opened strong, scoring three in the first two ends, before extending their lead in the third. Andrade and Machado scored a consolation point in a seriously tight fourth.

World No 2 Hong Kong had to use every trick in the book against 18th-ranked Japan in the afternoon as they let a comfortable lead slip in the final end.

Ho and Tse scored four points in the opening ends, before Japan’s Keisuke Kawamoto, Kazuki Takahashi and Keiko Tanaka pulled one back in the third, and scored three bumper points to equalise. The Hong Kong pair were able to keep composed to win the tiebreaker 2-0.

Hong Kong bowler Ho Yuen-kei in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games boccia pairs BC3 pool game at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in August. Photo: Hong Kong Paralympic Committee
Hong Kong bowler Ho Yuen-kei in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games boccia pairs BC3 pool game at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in August. Photo: Hong Kong Paralympic Committee
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In BC4 pool B, fellow world No 2 ranked Hong Kong overwhelmed their Japanese counterparts 7-1 after a scintillating late charge. Led by individual bronze medallist Leung Yuk-wing and Vivian Lau Wai-yan – with Wong Kwan-hang as the reserve – the pair scored two in the third end and four in the fourth.
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