Hoi Long has become the first Macao athlete to win gold at the 25th Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo, coming out on top during yesterday’s final for the 15 km women’s individual time trial.
The local triathlete defeated 22 other competitors with a time of 28:29.76 and a speed of 31.6 km per hour. In second and third place were Germany’s Bianca Metz and China’s Wang Qiqi. Metz achieved a time of 29:13.19 and a speed of 30.8 km per hour, while Wang’s time and speed were listed as 29:28.31 and 30.5 km per hour.
Prior to her win, Hoi had taken part in other cycling events, including the women’s sprint on Monday, where she was ranked 10th place. The top three cyclists of that competition were Alisa Viktorovna Bondareva, who did not represent any national teams, Wang Qiqi, and Yelisaveta Topchaniuk of Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Hoi participated in the women’s points race, ranking 5th place overall, with a total of 7 points. Meng Yan of China finished first, earning 52 points. This was followed by Wang Qiqi and Bianaca Metz, who scored 19 and 18 points respectively.
Next up on the agenda for Hoi is the women’s individual road race on Saturday, which has been described by local media as “even more challenging.”
[See more: ‘I hope society can be more accepting of us’ says Macao’s deaf triathlete Hoi Long]
As for Macao’s other events, Ng Weng In and Tai Sok Ieng performed strongly in the table tennis women’s double, earning a spot in the top 16. However, they were ultimately defeated by China’s Shi Ce and Sun Boyao. The female table tennis team are set to continue competing during the women’s team event scheduled on Sunday and Monday.
In terms of bowling, Macao lagged behind other competitors in the male and female singles events. Un Ho Man and Wong Hio Tai performed strongly, with the former achieving 46th place in the male singles and the latter ranking 31st place in the women’s singles. In the coming days, the Macao bowling team will be taking part in the doubles and team tournaments.
Macao is among 81 countries and regions that are participating in the 2025 Deaflympics, which runs through 26 November, attracting some 3,000 hearing-impaired athletes.
This year, the Macau Sports Association of the Deaf has organised a team of 20 people to participate in the quadrennial Deaflympics. This includes 12 hearing-impaired athletes who are taking part in the bowling, cycling and table tennis tournaments.
