Taiwan’s Lin Tzu-yu and Tian Shiau-wen late on Saturday won the silver medal in the table tennis women’s doubles WD20 class at the Paris Paralympics, winning Taiwan’s second medal of this year’s games.
The top-seeded duo missed the gold, losing to Australia’s Lei Li Na and Yang Qian in the 29-minute final in South Paris Arena 4.
Lin and Tian struggled to adjust early in the match, losing the first two games 7-11 and 6-11.
Photo: Reuters
Although they fought back to win the third game 11-3 and took the lead in the fourth game, they were unable to take advantage of their game point and lost 10-12 to the second seeds.
The Taiwanese duo said in a post-match interview that they were happy to surpass their performance at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, when Tian won a bronze in the women’s singles TT10 class.
It was also Taiwan’s only medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Photo: Reuters
Tian said they had improved a lot compared with their Tokyo performance, thanking her coach’s effort, as well as others for their support.
“I have no regrets, having displayed the strength [we] were meant to show,” Tian said.
The silver medal was proof of their growth, Lin said, adding that “my partner is really very strong.”
Tian fell into a slump last year after an injury, but it gave her the chance for self-reflection and to stabilize her condition, her coach, Chuang Wen-chuan, said.
“I am really moved to see her grow along the way,” Chaung said.
Tying for the best performance of the Taiwanese table tennis team at the Paralympics with their silver, Tian and Lin were yesterday to start their first matches in the women’s singles WS10 class.
Tian was last night after press time to play Nigeria’s Faith Obazuaye.
The Taichung Sports Bureau yesterday said it would award NT$600,000 plus a NT$50,000 appearance award to Lin, who is a Taichung citizen.
Team Taiwan has won two medals so far at the Paralympics, the other being a bronze medal won on Thursday by taekwondo athlete Xiao Hsiang-wen in the men’s K44 58kg division.
In Saturday’s badminton matches in La Chaplle Arena, Taiwan’s Hu Guang-chiou lost her women’s singles WH1 quarter-final to top seed Sarina Satomi of Japan in straight sets, 21-5, 21-11, after earlier advancing with a 21-17, 21-11 victory over Brazil’s Daniele Torres Souza in her final Group C match.
In Group C of the women’s singles WH2, Taiwan’s Yang I-chen lost 21-10, 21-7 to second seed Pilar Jauregui Cancino of Peru, while Taiwan’s Cai Yi-lin lost 21-9, 21-8 to Jayci Simon of the US in Group A of the women’s singles SH6.
In Group B of the men’s singles SU5, Taiwan’s Fang Jen-yu lost 21-14, 21-18 to Indonesia’s Dheva Anrimusthi.
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