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.”
RECORD DEFEAT: The Shanghai-based ‘Oriental Sports Daily’ said the drubbing was so disastrous, and taste so bitter, that all that is left is ‘numbness’ Chinese soccer fans and media rounded on the national team yesterday after they experienced fresh humiliation in a 7-0 thrashing to rivals Japan in their opening Group C match in the third phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The humiliation in Saitama on Thursday against Asia’s top-ranked team was China’s worst defeat in World Cup qualifying and only a goal short of their record 8-0 loss to Brazil in 2012. Chinese President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the World Cup one day, but that ambition looked further away than ever after a
‘KHELIFMANIA’: In the weeks since the Algerian boxer won gold in Paris, national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women In the weeks since Algeria’s Imane Khelif won an Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing, athletes and coaches in the North African nation say national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women. Khelif’s image is practically everywhere, featured in advertisements at airports, on highway billboards and in boxing gyms. The 25-year-old welterweight’s success in Paris has vaulted her to national hero status, especially after Algerians rallied behind her in the face of uninformed speculation about her gender and eligibility to compete. Amateur boxer Zougar Amina, a medical student who has been practicing for a year, called Khelif an
Crowds descended on the home of 17-year-old Chinese diver Quan Hongchan after she won two golds at the Paris Olympics while gymnast Zhang Boheng hid in a Beijing airport toilet to escape overzealous throngs of fans. They are just two recent examples of what state media are calling “toxic fandom” and Chinese authorities have vowed to crack down on it. Some of the adulation toward China’s sports stars has been more sinister — fans obsessing over athletes’ personal lives, cyberbullying opponents or slamming supposedly crooked judges. Experts say it mirrors the kind of behavior once reserved for entertainment celebrities before
GOING GLOBAL: The regular season fixture is part of the football league’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the sport to international destinations The US National Football League (NFL) breaks new ground in its global expansion strategy tomorrow when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers face off in the first-ever grid-iron game staged in Brazil. For one night only, the land of Pele and ‘The Beautiful Game’ will get a rare glimpse into the bone-crunching world of American football as the Packers and Eagles collide at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena, the 46,000-seat home of soccer club Corinthians. The regular season fixture is part of the NFL’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the US’ most popular sport to new territories following previous international fixtures
RSS