Hong Kong’s Tsang Yee-ting claims Asian Games karate silver after scoreless final

Hong Kong karateka Tsang Yee-ting claimed silver in the women’s under-50kg kumite at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday after losing a closely contested final to Malaysia’s Shahmalarani Chandran on a judges’ decision.

The 34-year-old, competing in her fourth Asian Games, secured her first medal at the continental event after returning to competition following the birth of her son.

Tsang, who won the Asian Championships in June, received a first-round bye before defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chung Ya-chi 6-0 in the quarterfinals and edging out the Philippines’ Marie June Adriano 5-4 in the semifinals. 

In the gold-medal bout at Toyohashi Gymnasium, both athletes adopted a cautious approach, with neither managing to score during the three-minute contest.

The match ended 0-0 and was decided by the judges, who awarded the victory to Chandran for delivering the stronger performance.

Despite narrowly missing out on gold, Tsang achieved her first Asian Games podium finish, having previously placed as high as fifth at the 2014 Incheon Games. 

Her silver brought Hong Kong’s karate campaign to a close with five medals — two silver and three bronze.

Tsang will receive HK$500,000 under the Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme in recognition of her achievement.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓