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Saturday, Feb 22, 2025
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Seasoned fencer Yu fails to find edge in epee test
Wheelchair fencer Alison Yu Chui-yee was knocked out of the category A individual epee event yesterday just as she appeared set to get the ball rolling on a count of Hong Kong medals at the Tokyo Paralympics.
In her fifth Paralympics, sixth-seeded Yu, 37, was eliminated in the quarterfinals by third-seeded Rong Jing from China, who won 15-11.
Yu teammate Justine Charissa Ng had been knocked out earlier in the round of 16 of the same event by Hungarian Zsuzsanna Krajnyak, losing 15-12.
Yu had eased through the group stage with three wins out of four. Her only loss was by a point to Iuliia Maya, representing the Russian Paralympic Committee.
She then cruised past Ukraine's Nataliia Mandryk 15-10 to face Rong, who won gold in the team epee event in the Rio 2016 Paralympics.
It was a close bout, with the 32-year-old Rong unable to impose herself on the contest in the opening stage.
But after the first period Yu, who had won seven gold medals in previous Paralympics, failed to overcome a points deficit and eventually had to accept defeat.
Yu said after the bout that she was disappointed by her performance but was intent on getting herself together in preparing for the team epee event today.
"I was in good form during the group stage, but as I was facing Rong in the quarterfinals I failed to perform according to the game plan my coach prepared for me before the bout. It was mainly due to worrying too much.
"It was a bit disappointing to be knocked out in the quarterfinals," she added, "as Hong Kong seldom broadcasts a competition live. And when there was one I was unable to get a medal to let Hongkongers see how far we can go."
But Yu called on Hongkongers to continue showing support for Hong Kong's wheelchair fencers, with members appearing in the team events today, as well as for other SAR competitors in the Paralympics.
The women's fencing team, currently ranked third in the world and consisting of Yu, Ng and Chung Yuen-ping, will face the Japanese team ranking six places below them today.
In table tennis, world No 4 Wong Ting-ting, 18, making her debut in the Paralympics, triumphed 3-1 over reigning champion Natalya Kosmina of Ukraine, so she now heads her group after winning two of three matches.
But 24-year-old teammate Ng Mui-wui, competing in another group, was unable to get the better of the Russian Paralympic Committee's Elena Prokofeva.
Ng now holds second place in her group after winning a match, losing one and having one more to go in the group stage.
Wong and Ng play their third and last group matches this morning, with each intent on getting to the semi-finals.
Wong will face Japan's Kanami Furukawa, who is currently second in the group, while Ng meets Krystyna Lysiak of Poland, in last place.
Yu teammate Justine Charissa Ng had been knocked out earlier in the round of 16 of the same event by Hungarian Zsuzsanna Krajnyak, losing 15-12.
Yu had eased through the group stage with three wins out of four. Her only loss was by a point to Iuliia Maya, representing the Russian Paralympic Committee.
She then cruised past Ukraine's Nataliia Mandryk 15-10 to face Rong, who won gold in the team epee event in the Rio 2016 Paralympics.
It was a close bout, with the 32-year-old Rong unable to impose herself on the contest in the opening stage.
But after the first period Yu, who had won seven gold medals in previous Paralympics, failed to overcome a points deficit and eventually had to accept defeat.
Yu said after the bout that she was disappointed by her performance but was intent on getting herself together in preparing for the team epee event today.
"I was in good form during the group stage, but as I was facing Rong in the quarterfinals I failed to perform according to the game plan my coach prepared for me before the bout. It was mainly due to worrying too much.
"It was a bit disappointing to be knocked out in the quarterfinals," she added, "as Hong Kong seldom broadcasts a competition live. And when there was one I was unable to get a medal to let Hongkongers see how far we can go."
But Yu called on Hongkongers to continue showing support for Hong Kong's wheelchair fencers, with members appearing in the team events today, as well as for other SAR competitors in the Paralympics.
The women's fencing team, currently ranked third in the world and consisting of Yu, Ng and Chung Yuen-ping, will face the Japanese team ranking six places below them today.
In table tennis, world No 4 Wong Ting-ting, 18, making her debut in the Paralympics, triumphed 3-1 over reigning champion Natalya Kosmina of Ukraine, so she now heads her group after winning two of three matches.
But 24-year-old teammate Ng Mui-wui, competing in another group, was unable to get the better of the Russian Paralympic Committee's Elena Prokofeva.
Ng now holds second place in her group after winning a match, losing one and having one more to go in the group stage.
Wong and Ng play their third and last group matches this morning, with each intent on getting to the semi-finals.
Wong will face Japan's Kanami Furukawa, who is currently second in the group, while Ng meets Krystyna Lysiak of Poland, in last place.
