Paris Paralympics: boccia athlete Loung says winning Hong Kong’s first gold ‘amazing’
John Loung beats South Korea’s Jung Sung-joon 4-1 in men’s individual BC1 event, with teammate Cheung Yeun taking silver in women’s final
Boccia athlete John Loung claimed Hong Kong’s first gold of the Paralympics on Monday and said the medal, which came 20 years after his first Games, held “a lot of meaning”.
On a day when the city’s athletes burst into life in Paris, teammate Cheung Yeun added a second silver to the tally, while compatriots Ho Yuen-kei and Chan Yui-lam both had shots at gold overnight in their boccia and swimming events, respectively.
Loung beat South Korea’s Jung Sung-joon 4-1 in the men’s individual BC1 final, and said winning “gold for my city is amazing”.
“This medal exceeded my own expectations, and it holds a lot of meaning for me,” the 38-year-old said. “I first competed in the Paralympic Games back in 2004. Twenty years on, I was finally on the podium today.
“I dropped out of boccia in 2009 because I was not able to cope with my expectations, and my performance was not up to the mark. At every match, the thought of not performing well gradually started becoming a burden to me.
“I returned [to boccia] in 2014. Looking back, it was a difficult time. This gold [medal] holds even more relevance because of the journey I have had.”
