Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May 24 2016 – Hong Kong achieved a terrific twin triumph on the fifth and final day of the Fazza World Open Boccia Competition – Dubai 2016 here at Al Nasr Sports Club.
Mei Yee Leung claimed gold in the BC1 category by edging out China’s Kai Sun in the tie-break after their final finished level at 3-3 and Yuen Kei Ho defeated Maxim Vasiliev, of Russia, 4-2 to emerge victorious from the BC3 classification.
Portugal’s Abilio Valente claimed the honours in BC2 with a 3-2 win against the Chinese player Zhiquang Yan, while Samuel Andrejcik, of Slovakia, took away the plaudits in BC4 courtesy of a 3-2 success over Yan’s compatriot Yuansen Zheng.
Hong Kong, Portugal and Slovakia also picked up a bronze medal apiece in the BC4, BC1 and BC2 contests respectively.
Valente’s fellow countryman Antonio Marques eventually got the better of Russian Mikhail Gutnik in the tie-break following a 4-4 draw for a third-place finish in BC1, whereas Slovakia’s Robert Mezik downed Gutnik’s compatriot Dmitrii Kozmin 7-3 to round off the podium picture in BC2.
Hong Kong was already assured of a bronze medal in BC4 with Yuk Wing Leung and Wai Yan Vivian Lau facing off against each other; Leung overcoming Lau 3-1 in the battle of familiar ‘foes.’
Like Mezik, South Korea’s Jong Ho Kwon inflicted a same-scoreline reverse (7-3) upon Daiki Kosaka, of Japan, in the BC3 third/fourth place play-off.
This tournament is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), organised and supervised by the Dubai Club for the Disabled with the support of strategic partners the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) and in collaboration with the Boccia International Sports Federation (BISFed), the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW), the DSC and the UAE Paralympic Committee.
Mohamed Abdulkareem Julfar Vice present of the the Organising Committee for the Fazza Championships for the Disabled, commented: “I’d like to thank all of the athletes for their participation in this year’s event and congratulate our four gold medalists on their respective triumphs this afternoon.
“We’ve witnessed a very high standard of competition over the course of the last five days and, harnessed with our new international classification from the Boccia International Sports Federation (BISFed) and the sterling support of our strategic partners the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), that performance level seems set to reach even greater heights in the years to come.”
Souad Ibrahim Darwish, the Director of Championships at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), added: “We’re proud to support the Dubai Club for the Disabled in all of their efforts to develop and promote disabled athletes and disability sport.
“Disabled people represent an important sector in our society, both in terms of the UAE and the world at large, and events such as the Fazza World Open Boccia Competition – Dubai 2016 showcases succinctly the clear contribution they can make to enriching all of our lives.
“We trust that our international visitors from overseas enjoyed their time here in the emirate and hope that they got to sample our rich Emirati culture and heritage and renowned hospitality during their stay.”

 

 

Day Five Results:

BC1 Quarter-Finals: Mei Yee Leung (Hong Kong) 7-1 Jakub Nagy (Slovakia), Mikhail Gutnik (Russia) 10-1 Salim Al Madhani (UAE), Antonio Marques (Portugal) 5-4 Qi Zhang (China), Kai Sun (China) 8-2 Hiromi Endo (Japan). Semi-Finals: Mei Yee Leung (Hong Kong) 4-3 Mikhail Gutnik (Russia), Antonio Marques (Portugal) 0-7 Kai Sun (China). Bronze Medal Play-Off Match: Mikhail Gutnik (Russia) 4-4 Antonio Marques (Portugal) (Marques won the tie-break). Final: Mei Yee Leung (Hong Kong) 3-3 Kai Sun (China) (Leung won the tie-break).

BC2 Quarter-Finals: Zhiquang Yan (China) 6-1 Fernando Ferreira (Portugal), Dmitrii Kozmin (Russia) 6-4 Cristina Goncalves (Portugal), Robert Mezik (Slovakia) 11-1 Fumiko Ebisawa (Japan), Abilio Valente (Portugal) 6-2 Hiu Lam Yeung (Hong Kong). Semi-Finals:  Zhiquang Yan (China) 5-0 Dmitrii Kozmin (Russia), Robert Mezik (Slovakia) 4-4 Abilio Valente (Portugal) (Valente won the tie-break). Bronze Medal Play-Off Match: Dmitrii Kozmin (Russia) 3-7 Robert Mezik (Slovakia). Final: Zhiquang Yan (China) 2-3 Abilio Valente (Portugal).

BC3 Quarter-Finals: Peter Cilissen (Belgium) 1-6 Daiki Kosaka (Japan), Aleksandr Legostaev (Russia) 3-3 Maxim Vasiliev (Russia) (Vasiliev won the tie-break), Yuen Kei Ho (Hong Kong) 6-0 Keisuke Kawamoto (Japan), Jong Ho Kwon (South Korea) 6-0 Kenneth Verwimp (Belgium). Semi-Finals:  Daiki Kosaka (Japan) 5-6 Maxim Vasiliev (Russia), Yuen Kei Ho (Hong Kong) 6-3 Jong Ho Kwon (South Korea). Bronze Medal Play-Off Match: Daiki Kosaka (Japan) 3-7 Jong Ho Kwon (South Korea). Final: Maxim Vasiliev (Russia) 2-4 Yuen Kei Ho (Hong Kong).

BC4 Quarter-Finals: Yuk Wing Leung (Hong Kong) 5-2 Michaela Balcova (Slovakia), Samuel Andrejcik (Slovakia) 7-2 Kwan Hang Wong (Hong Kong), Yuansen Zheng (China) 4-3 Ivan Frolov (Russia), Wai Yan Vivian Lau (Hong Kong) 3-2 Ximei Lin (China). Semi-Finals:  Yuk Wing Leung (Hong Kong) 2-7 Samuel Andrejcik (Slovakia), Yuansen Zheng (China) 5-1 Wai Yan Vivian Lau (Hong Kong). Bronze Medal Play-Off Match: Yuk Wing Leung (Hong Kong) 3-1 Wai Yan Vivian Lau (Hong Kong). Final: Samuel Andrejcik (Slovakia) 3-2 Yuansen Zheng (China).