Taiwanese table tennis rising star Chen Po-yen on Wednesday advanced to the semifinals of the men’s singles TT11 category at the Paris Paralympics, securing at least a bronze medal despite a scoring error by the referee.
Chen said that his coach, Wei Chun-ta, had written the word “focus” on his palm, which helped him maintain concentration during the match.
At just 17, Chen is the youngest member of Taiwan’s Paralympic team.
Photo: CNA
He experienced cognitive impairment as a child after a fall, but later followed his sister into the world of table tennis.
His relentless determination quickly propelled him into the spotlight. Last year, Chen won the men’s singles championship at the Virtus Global Games, making him the first Taiwanese athlete to qualify for the Paris Paralympics.
He continued his winning streak by claiming gold in the men’s singles at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games.
Considered one of Taiwan’s top medal contenders at this year’s Paralympics, Chen faced Belgium’s Florian Van Acker, the 2016 Rio Paralympics gold medalist, in the TT11 men’s singles quarter-finals.
Chen dominated the first two games with scores of 11-9 and 11-7. Despite a setback in the third game, he rallied in the fourth, winning 11-7 to secure his spot in the semi-finals and guarantee a medal.
With this victory, Chen joined teammates Lin Tzu-yu, Tian Shiau-wen and Cheng Ming-chih in ensuring that every member of Taiwan’s Paralympic table tennis team would get a medal.
Speaking to the media after the match, Chen expressed joy at winning a medal in his Paralympic debut, describing it as a huge relief. He also said that seeing the word “focus” written on his palm before every serve was a great help.
Wei said Van Acker was one of the four key opponents they had focused on preparing to play against and they were surprised to face him in the first match.
Chen’s sparring partners worked hard to simulate Van Acker’s style of play, he added.
“Chen performed exceptionally well under pressure today, which has eased our nerves and given us even more confidence as we aim for gold,” Wei said.
A notable moment happened in the first game when a referee’s scoring error briefly disrupted the match. However, Chen remained composed and quickly adjusted.
Wei said that Chen was leading 2-1 when the main referee issued a warning to Van Acker for an illegal serve. However, the assistant referee failed to record the point on the scoreboard, resulting in the rally being replayed.
Reflecting on the situation, Chen said: “I didn’t dwell on it. I just focused on winning the point back.”
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
The Canterbury Crusaders edged the Waikato Chiefs 16-12 in an intense Super Rugby Pacific final battle in Christchurch yesterday to claim their 15th title in 30 years of the Southern Hemisphere competition. Hooker Codie Taylor scored a try and Rivez Reihana contributed 11 points from the kicking tee as the most dominant team in Super Rugby history extended their perfect home playoff record to 32 successive matches since 1998. The Chiefs, who were looking for a first title since 2013, scored first-half tries through George Dyer and Shaun Stevenson, but were unable to register a point after the break and fell to