National Games: Hong Kong men’s and women’s épée teams miss out on semi-final places
- Vivian Kong, Debbie Ho and Coco Lin lose to Chinese women’s world champions 32-44 in the quarter-finals
- Men’s team valiant but fall to number two seeds Fujian 32-43 in Tianjin
But Kong and teammates Debbie Ho Tik-lam and Coco Lin Yik-hei could not avoid being matched up with China’s Olympic team, losing 32-44 to miss a semi-final position.
The 2019 world champions – Sun of Shandong, Zhu Mingye of Guangdong, Lin Sheng of Fujian and Jiangsu’s Xu Anqi – made up a “United” team to take on the mainland’s other province teams.
They finished fourth at the same event in Tokyo, beating a new-look Hong Kong team who finished not far behind in seventh. Regular member Moonie Chu Ka-mong sustained an injury in training camp ahead of the National Games.
The men’s épée team – consisting of Fong Hoi-sun, Cedric Ho Wai-hang, Ng Ho-tin and Clarence Lai Ka-chun – likewise lost in the quarters elimination round. They fell to number two seeds Fujian (Zhang Yijun, Li Bing, Lin Zongyi and Wang Xiao) 32-43.
Hong Kong had beaten higher-seeded Shanghai (Sun Dongdong, Zhang Chengjie, Zhu Haiyu and Gu Xinyuan) 36-30 in the previous round.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong golfer Jason Hak Shun-yat took a slight dip in form in round two of the National Games individual golf finals at the Xi’an Qinling International on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old finished on two-under-par for the day, finishing strong with two birdies in the last two holes, to go eight-under overall.
Hak, who has had a sensational 2021 season on the China Tour so far, dropped to fourth place as two-time European Tour winner Li Haotong, of Guangdong, leapfrogged with a four-under-par for the day.
The first round’s overnight leader Wu Ashun, of Shanghai, dropped to second despite a solid four-under-par outing as Hainan’s Yuan Yechun went to 12-under overall with an impressive eight-under-par for the round.
The men’s have two more rounds to play over the next two days, with the winner to be determined on Friday.
In the women’s event, 14-year-old Sophie Han scored two-under for the day to go three-under overall, sitting in fifth place behind Liu Yu of Guangdong.
Ji Yuai of Liaoning went six-under for the round to take the overall lead, tying with LPGA star Janet Lin Xiyu of Guangdong and Yunnan’s Ren Yue.
