Hong Kong paddler Wong Ting-ting. (PHOTO / HONG KONG PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE AND SPORTS ASSOCIATION FOR THE PHYSICALLY DISABLED)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong table tennis player Wong Ting-ting won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympics on Friday, the first medal for Hong Kong at this year's games.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor extended her congratulations to the 17-year-old.

Wong Ting-ting made her debut at the Paralympic Games marvelously and outperformed veteran players, winning the first medal for Hong Kong at the Games.

Carrie Lam, Chief Executive, HKSAR 

"Wong Ting-ting made her debut at the Paralympic Games marvelously and outperformed veteran players, winning the first medal for Hong Kong at the Games," Lam said in a statement issued shortly after Wong won the medal in the Women's Singles TT11 event.

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"We are delighted and thrilled. Given her strong will and exceptional talent, I believe that she will reach new heights of sporting glory," Lam added.

Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui Ying-wai and non-official members of the Executive Council also congratulated Wong on winning bronze. 

Playing against world No 1 Elena Prokofeva of the Russian Paralympic Committee at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Friday morning, the teenager Wong took the first game 11-9 in the semifinal.

But her lead was soon wiped out as Prokofeva, 50, came back to win the next three games, 11-5, 11-6, 11-8. 

The veteran Prokofeva won the match 3-1 to advance to the final. Despite losing Friday's match, Wong still bagged a bronze as there is no bronze-medal play-off.

Wong currently ranks second in Class TT11 in Asia. She won a silver medal in the Women's Singles TT11 event at the 2019 INAS Global Games.

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In her statement, Lam also praised the performance of other Hong Kong athletes at the Tokyo Paralympics. 

Wong Ting-ting currently ranks second in Class TT11 in Asia. She won a silver medal in the Women's Singles TT11 event at the 2019 INAS Global Games

"In addition to Wong, other Hong Kong athletes also performed at their best in various competitions at the Paralympics Games in the past few days, which is laudable. Hong Kong people and I will continue to support Hong Kong athletes by watching TV broadcasts," Lam said.

To support Hong Kong athletes participating in the Paralympic Games, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) has deployed two production crews to cover the games in Japan.

In addition to the opening and closing ceremonies, RTHK is also broadcasting live no less than 100 hours of competitions, including those of Hong Kong athletes. 

RTHK is also producing two hours of highlights of the Paralympic Games every day with instant sign language interpretation and bilingual broadcasting as well as an Urdu dubbed version. Highlights of the Games will also be provided to other local television stations.

Lam commended RTHK's efforts to broadcast the Paralympic Games to allow more members of the public to cheer for Hong Kong athletes.