Tokyo Paralympics: Chan Yui-lam, Cheung Ho-ying and Tang Wai-lok bow out in 200m individual medley heats

Teen sensations Chan and Cheung narrowly miss qualification for final while Tang ends Tokyo outing in disappointment

Chan and men’s swimmer Hui Ka-chun tasked with last medal push in the 100m backstroke on Thursday

Reading Time:1 minute

Hong Kong’s Chan Yui-lam at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan in August. Photo: Hong Kong Paralympic Committee

Published: 11:57am, 31 Aug 2021Updated: 11:57am, 31 Aug 2021

Hong Kong’s chances of a Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games swimming medal were cut even shorter after Chan Yui-lam, Cheung Ho-ying and Tang Wai-lok did not qualify for the finals of their respective 200-metre individual medley SM14 heats on Tuesday.

The 17-year-old Chan, who emerged as the city’s most promising medal contender after finishing fourth in the 100m butterfly having set a new Paralympics record in the heats last week, finished second in her heat with a time of two minutes, 37.70 seconds. She finished ninth overall to narrowly miss out on a top-eight qualifying position at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

Cheung, 18, finished just behind her teammate in third with a time of 2:38.46, finishing 10th overall. It was Cheung’s last race of the Games, her highlight an eighth-place finish in the 100m butterfly final last week.

Men’s favourite Tang, a reigning 2016 Rio Games champion in the 200m freestyle, finished his men’s heat with a time of 2:18.87, placing fifth in the race and 14th overall.

Hong Kong’s Cheung Ho-ying finishes fifth in the women’s 100m butterfly S14 heat at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Hong Kong Paralympic Committee

It was another disappointing outing in his third consecutive Games having finished sixth in the 100m butterfly and failing to get to the 200m freestyle final to defend his crown last week. The 24-year-old, who also finished fourth in the backstroke in Rio five years ago, has now competed in all of his events in Tokyo.