At the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, Macau won another silver medal in the men’s team karate competition on Sunday, the final day of ASIAD.
The silver medal was won by the local men’s karate team comprising Kuok Kin Hang, Fong Man Hou and Cheang Pei Lok who were defeated by their Japanese opponents who had scored 44.5 in the men’s team karate with a score of 41.7, the first silver medal won by Macau in a team competition at the Asian Games.
Kuok, who had earlier won a silver medal in the men’s individual karate, said in an interview after the competition that although in the preliminary round he somewhat did not perform “as well as he should”, in the final competition the team’s performance met their own expectations. However, Kuok added that the opponents’ technical level was high, and his team accepted the result, according to a local media report.
Kuok also said that he has experienced a lot of ups and downs during his more than 10-year career as an athlete, and expressed his gratitude for the support he had received, which has pushed him to work harder, according to local Chinese-language media reports.
It was the first time that 21-year-old Fong participated in the Asian Games. He said he was happy how the final went, and he considered his team’s karate movements smooth, and he hoped that he can win medals in the upcoming world championship, according to the media reports.
Cheang, 18, who also participated in the Asian Games for the first time, said that he felt very honoured to win the medal, and that he was “not so nervous” thanks to the experience of his two team members, according to a local media report.
The karate team competition was a new event in this year’s Asian Games, with a total of six men’s teams participating, with the bronze medal won by Iraq and Kuwait.
Macau’s athletes won one gold, three silver and two bronze medals in the 19th Asian Games, ranking 25th in the medal table out of 41 countries and regions entered.
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng sent a congratulatory message to the Macau delegation at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, and said this year was the best result ever in the Asian Games, which was encouraging and had brought honour to Macau. Ho expressed warm congratulations on behalf of the Macau government and the Macau residents, according to a local media report.
Sports Bureau (ID) President Pun Weng Kun told reporters after the Games in Hangzhou that whether the athletes won or not, he felt “very proud of all the athletes”, who had made progress this year, which showed that all their training has not been wasted, adding that he hoped that their success would motivate more people to participate in competitive sports, according to a local media report.
The 19th Asian Games closed on Sunday.
Macau’s karate team silver medalists Kuok Kin Hang (left), Fong Man Hou (centre) and Cheang Pei Lok pose with their medals during the awarding ceremony for the Men's Team Kata of Karate at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, on Sunday. – Xinhua
