Paddlers Wong and Doo avoid early showdown with top pair
Top News | Michael Shum 26 Jul 2024
Michael Shum
Hong Kong paddlers Wong Chun-ting and Doo Hoi-kem have been dealt a favorable draw in the Olympic mixed doubles event.
They will not have to face the top-seeded Chinese pair of Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha until the final.
But Wong, 32, and Doo, 27, will need to navigate through the semi-finals, where they are likely to meet the fancied Japanese duo of Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata.
In the official draw, the fourth-seeded Hong Kong pair managed to avoid their main rivals in the early stages of the table tennis tournament.
They will open their campaign against the 11th-seeded Hungarians Nandor Ecseki and Dora Madarasz. That match is scheduled for 11.15pm (HK time) tomorrow.
If they win, Wong and Doo will then take on either fifth-seeded Alvaro Robles and Maria Xiao of Spain or the Brazilians Vitor Ishiy and Bruna Takahashi in the quarter-finals.
In the individual events, Wong, ranked 50th in the world, will play the winner of a preliminary round match between Senegal's Ibrahima Diaw, 89th, and Nepal's unranked Santoo Shrestha.
Meanwhile, Doo, ranked 47th, will face North Korea's Pyon Song Gyong, 170th, in the women's singles.
Doo's teammate, Zhu Chengzhu, ranked 61st, will take on Chinese Taipei's Chien Tung-chuan.
The Hong Kong women's team have been drawn to face Sweden.
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised about water quality of the River Seine, staging area of the triathlon event in which Hong Kong's Jason Ng Tai-long is set to compete.
If the water quality remains poor, organizers may replace the swimming segment with a longer running event.
Chau Shiu-nam, president of the Triathlon Association of Hong Kong China, said the organizers "have been transparent in communicating water quality updates to the Hong Kong team." He expressed confidence that they "will prioritize the health and safety of the athletes."
Chau also said that Ng has the chance to break the Hong Kong record after finishing 33rd at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
In other news, Kowloon Motor Bus has announced that all members of the Hong Kong delegation will enjoy one year of free rides on KMB and Long Win buses, and each athlete will have the opportunity to name a bus after themselves.
