The Hong Kong men's table tennis team came agonisingly close to a silver medal, but had to settle for a bronze after being knocked out of the semi-finals by South Korea.
Despite a 3-0 loss, coach Chan Kong-wah was not too disappointed with the overall performance. 'We needed some luck really to beat the Koreans as they are the better side, but unfortunately we did not have luck this time,' said Chan, who also led Hong Kong to a bronze medal at the Pusan Games four years ago.
'Of course, we would be happier if we had improved on our bronze medal effort from four years ago. But the boys have given their best and sometimes you just have to accept the result. The team event is now over and we have to look ahead to the individual competition.'
Hong Kong's top player Li Ching, the world number 12, though, was clearly upset that the team had missed the opportunity to reach the final.
'We had been playing so well in the tournament and had every chance to beat the Koreans and achieve what we have never achieved before at the Asian Games,' he said. 'It was very close, but we failed to take the crucial points. That was the difference between the two sides.'
Against the Koreans, Hong Kong found themselves 2-0 down, but it could have so easily been 2-0 up. Both matches went to five sets and both times the margin of defeat was narrow.
