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Header image courtesy of China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee
It’s been exactly one week since the closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, and the spirit of triumph still lingers in the air! Hong Kong’s Paralympic athletes showcased extraordinary talent, resilience, and sportsmanship, bringing home a total of eight medals—three gold, four silver, and one bronze—across three disciplines. Here’s a round-up of their achievements.
Hong Kong’s golden trio shone brightly in the boccia arena, a ball sport that has been a Paralympic Games discipline since 1984. A hyper-focused John Loung clinched gold in the men’s individual BC1 event on 2 September. BC1 is the category of athletes with highly affected movement in the trunk and legs.
Later that day, Ho Yuen-kei secured gold against Australian athlete Jamieson Leeson in the women’s individual BC3, showing incredible skill and determination. The BC3 category concerns athletes who have dysfunction in the four limbs. The excitement continued as Tse Tak-wah and Ho Yuen-kei competed against South Korea for the mixed pairs BC3, bringing home yet another gold medal for Hong Kong on 5 September.
Silver medals also flowed in for Hong Kong. The talented Chan Yui-lam made waves in para-swimming, finishing second in the women’s 100-metre butterfly S14, the intellectually-impaired category, on 30 August. On the same day, Cheung Yuen showcased her prowess in boccia, earning silver in the women’s individual BC4, a category of athletes with affected locomotor functions of the four limbs and the trunk.
On 5 September, Leung Yuk-wing and Cheung Yuen teamed up to secure another silver in the boccia mixed pairs BC4, while Daniel Chan Ho-yuen added to the Hong Kong silver count with a commendable performance in the men’s singles WH2 badminton event. This category concerns athletes with impaired legs who require a wheelchair. Also the winner of a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, this is Chan’s second Paralympic medal.
Completing the medal tally, Jasmine Ng Cheuk-yan found her place on the podium with a bronze in the women’s 100-metre breaststroke SB6 on 1 September, becoming Hong Kong’s youngest Paralympic medallist at just 14 years old. The SB6 category athletes compete in breaststroke swims and have one-sided affected coordination, highly affected lower mobility, short stature, or are missing a limb.
Throughout the games, Hong Kong’s 23 athletes competing in eight different categories displayed remarkable sportsmanship. As we celebrate the numerous medals won by them, we also reflect on each athlete’s inspiring journey. Here’s to Hong Kong’s incredible journey at the 2024 Summer Paralympics!
Born and raised in the French countryside, Lily arrived in Hong Kong looking for an adventure. Passionate about books, she spent some time in Parisian publishing houses and is the author of an illustrated book about hair. Life in Hong Kong for her entails looking for seaside places to eat and a lot of hiking.
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