Hong Kong take record medal haul
THE Hong Kong delegation were celebrating their historic performances last night as they wrapped up the competition with a best-ever eight gold, three silver and seven bronze medals at the Sydney Paralympics.
The SAR's 4x100 metres relay team, led by young sprinter So Wa-wai, failed to defend their title and had to settle for a bronze in the cerebral palsy open event, even though they set a best time of 48.68 seconds. Australia captured the gold with a new world mark of 48.24 while Britain took the silver.
'We clocked a satisfactory time but our opponents were just too strong for us,' athletics coach Poon Kin-lui said.
So, who won three golds and two bronzes - one bronze more than wheelchair fencer Fung Ying-ki - has the honour of carrying the SAR flag at today's closing ceremony.
Hong Kong won five gold, five silver and five bronze medals at Atlanta four years ago. The 60-strong team will return home tomorrow.