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SCMP Sport

This story has been made freely available to our readers as part of our Olympic coverage. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing.
With the Hong Kong women's table tennis team on a well-deserved break before their bronze medal-match with Germany tomorrow, attention turns to the golf course and the cycle track today.
Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching has struggled in the opening round at Kasumigaseki Country Club, where the three medallists from Rio, Inbee Park, Lydia Ko, and Shanshan Feng, are all grouped together. Chan shot a six-over par 77, to lie in a tie for 59th.
On the track, Sarah Lee Wai-sze leads the medal charge after qualifying for the keirin quarter-finals, but the London 2012 bronze medallist had to return for a repechage after finishing third in her heat. Jessica Lee Hoi-yan finished last in her heat, and fourth of five in her repechage, and is out.
Follow us for live coverage of all the action on day 12.
Reporting by Jonathan White and Paul Ryding (in Tokyo), Josh Ball, Patrick Blennerhassett, and Nick Atkin.
 


Tokyo Olympics: Sarah Lee through to quarter-finals; Hong Kong to face Germany for bronze – day 12, as it happened

Hong Kong's Sarah Lee Wai-sze competes during the women’s keirin repechages at Tokyo 2020. Photo: Getty Images



Sport

Hong Kong

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games


Hong Kong cyclist Sarah Lee qualifies first in keirin repechage, after finishing third in her first heat at the Izu Velodrome
China easily beat Germans 3-0 in table tennis semi-final with medal matches to come on Thursday



Hong Kong's Sarah Lee qualifies first in repechage after finishing third in her keirin heat. China easily beat Germans 3-0 in table tennis semi-final with medal matches to come on Thursday. 


Live

The Post’s sport news editor Paul Ryding unpacks the excitement from day 11 of the Games with Alkira Reinfrank.




Video: what you might have missed from day 11


History will be made at the Olympic Stadium this morning as China's Zheng Ninali competes in the heptathlon.
Zheng is China's first naturalised track and field athlete, and was known as Nina Schultz when she competed for Canada. Zheng naturalied based on her family heritage - as opposed to some footballers who have done so based on residency requirements.
Her grandmother, Zheng Fengrong, was China’s first world-record holder, setting a new mark of 1.77m in the high jump in 1957.
Zheng won silver at the last Commonwealth Games and was cleared to compete for China earlier this year after a “cooling off” period. She qualified despite missing the Tokyo mark because of her world ranking.


Another historic moment for China

Athletics: there are gold medals up for grabs in the women’s 400m hurdles, and 3,000m steeplechase. While there are men’s finals in the hammer, the 800m and 200m.
Boxing: Ben Whittaker of Britain fights Cuba’s Arlen Lopez in the final of the men’s light-heavyweight division.
Cycling track: Men’s team pursuit finals


Other things to watch out for on day 12

Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil won the women’s 10km marathon swimming event this morning.
Cunha touched first in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30.8 seconds, finishing nine-tenths of a second ahead of defending champion Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands.
Van Rouwendaal took silver in 1:59.31.7. Kareena Lee of Australia earned bronze in 1:59.32.5.


Cunha first after marathon swim

Tiffany Chan plans to use the winning insights that helped American Xander Schauffele to the men’s gold medal as she begins her own medal quest in the women’s golf competition.
The 27-year-old got her hands on the yardage book used by Austin Kaiser, Schauffele’s caddie, and hopes to put some of Schauffele’s nuanced notes, especially on the greens, to use.
Chan has made a solid start to her round, and is level par through the first four holes.


Chan has some golden know-how

Leung Hung-tak, chairman of Hong Kong Cycling Association, has told the Post that the medals won by Cheung Ka-long and Siobhan Haughey have taken the pressure off cyclist Sarah Lee.
“If we were still looking for the first medal for Hong Kong in track cycling, there would certainly be more pressure on the rider, but now the medal mission has been completed all she needs to do is race to her standards. Lee has vast experience in track cycling and we are pretty sure she can handle it well,” Leung said.
You can read the full interview here.


Lee under ‘less pressure’ to medal


There wasn’t much in the way of fanfare for Siobhan Haughey and the other athletes who arrived back in Hong Kong last night.
The double silver medal-winner was whisked away without so much as a word.
Still, Haughey had her say in an Instagram post, where she reflected on the past 5 years.
  
  
 
  
 
 


 


  
View this post on Instagram

 
  
  
 
 
 

  
 
 

  
 
 
 


  
 
 

A post shared by SIOBHÁN HAUGHEY (何詩蓓) (@siobhanhaughey01)




Quiet return for Siobhan Haughey

Sweden and Canada have asked Olympic organisers to move what is expected to be a hotly-contested women’s gold-medal football game on Friday to later in the day to avoid the sweltering heat of the Japanese summer.
Trackside temperatures at the Olympic Stadium hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) earlier this week, and with the women’s medal game scheduled to take place at 11.00am local time, both sides have expressed concerns for player welfare.
“I myself have been in contact with Fifa today and written to them, so that’s about where the situation is today,” Marika Domanski Lyfors, the head of Sweden’s women’s team, told reporters. (Reuters)


Swedes, Canada ask for delay of game


It's been a steady if unspectacular start for Tiffany Chan in the first round of the women's golf at Kasumigaseki Country Club.
She's currently sitting at one-over par after seven holes. Just the one blemish on her card so far - a bogey 5 at the par 4 sixth hole.
Elsewhere for regional athletes, though, it's been a fine start. South Korea's Inbee Park heads the pack at three-under par alongside Taiwan's Hsu Wei-ling. Philippines' Bianca Pagdanganan is tied fifth on one-under par.
Very early days yet it should be noted. A handful of players are yet to even tee up.


Steady start for Chan


China are one win away from the final of the women’s team table tennis competition.
They are 2-0 up overall against Germany. Chen Meng and Wang Manyu easily dispatched Shan Xiaona and Petrissa Solja 3-0 in the doubles, 11-9, 11-2, 11-4, and Sun Yingsha had an equally emphatic win over Han Ying, 11-6, 11-4, 11-9.


One foot in the final

The men's basketball semi-finals are set. It will be the USA against a very impressive and undefeated Australia, led by San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills tomorrow at 12.15pm. Then at 7pm it will be an unbeaten French team, led by newly minted New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier, who overnight signed for a whopping US$76 million in free agency.
Fournier, who is now one of the highest paid players at the Olympics, will go against another money maker in Luka Donic of the Dallas Mavericks, who is leading Slovenia on a Cinderella run. 


NBA stars to battle it out in men’s final four


In the women's basketball China are facing Serbia. After the failings of the football and volleyball teams, the last of China's "big ball sports" teams has the weight of the country on their shoulders. They won all three group games though, including against a Liz Cambage-less Australia.
China, who are one place below Serbia at ninth in the Fiba rankings, were leading 58-49 in the third quarter, but an 11-point run has put Serbia up 60-58. The winner takes on either the Australia or the US.


China’s women carrying country’s hopes on their shoulders

Olympics organisers have reported 29 new Covid-19 cases related to the Games, a new daily record since July 1. Among those are four athletes, including three artistic swimmers from Greece.


Swimmers among new Covid cases

China's Xie Wenjun's 13.58 in the men's 110m hurdles sees him finish fifth after a woeful start.
He was so far behind it looked like he had been glued to his starting block, but fair play to the hurdler, he made it back to fifth. There will be no Athens 2004 moment for him, when Liu Xiang shocked the world with his hurdles gold - China's first on the track, and still an Olympic record.


Sluggish start costs Xie in hurdles


While we are on history out on the track, Zheng Ninali has made hers and after two events, the 100m hurdles and high jump, where she has failed to clear 1.83m in two attempts.
She is level on points with her Commonwealth Games rival Katerina Johnson-Thompson on 2,062 points, behind US duo Erica Bougard (2,081) and Kendell Willams (2,107).
Two down, five to go. Up next is the shot put this evening, followed by the 200m to wrap up the day. Tomorrow begins with the long jump and javelin in the morning, and finishes with the 800m under the lights in the evening.


Heptathlete Zheng makes historic appearance

Chen Meng has booked her side’s spot in the gold medal-match, but it wasn’t easy.
The Chinese paddler had to come from a game down against Petrissa Solja in their singles match, eventually winning 3-1 (5-11, 11-4, 11-9, 13-11). That sets up a final against Japan, and means Hong Kong will meet Germany in the battle for bronze.


China’s women into table tennis final


The women's stakeboarding park final is in an hour at the Ariake Urban Sports Park, and we could see a youngest medalist yet.
Japan's Kokona Hiraki is just 12 years old and could surpass 13-year-old Momiji Nishiya, the women's street gold medallist, as Japan's youngest medal winner.
The tweenager is joined by Britain's Sky Brown, who is 13, plus fellow Japanese skaters Misugu Okamoto (15) and Sakura Yokosuma (19). The field is made up with US skater Bryce Wettstein (17), Poppy Olsen of Australia (20), and Brazil's Dora Varella (20). Brazil's Yndiara Asp is the oldest skater at 23.
Hiraki is not 13 until the end of the month. A gold would be some early birthday present.


Youngest medal winner yet?

Disaster for Tiffany Chan as a double bogey on the 11th sees her slip to last place in the 60-woman field.
Luckily, there's no cut here this week, but Chan has it all to do already to turn around her faltering first round and move towards the top of the leaderboard. She sits at four-over par through 11.
Taiwan's Hsu Wei-ling leads the pack on her own now at four-under par.


Can’t win gold on first day, but you can lose it

China's women's basketball team is out. They just lost a close match to Serbia, 77-70, which China led for substantial parts of the game, but were outscored 12-28 in the fourth quarter of the quarter-final. 
Jonathan White sums up what this latest team defeat means.
“A very poor showing for China across the team sports, led by the gold medal favourites in the volleyball, who were bounced before playing their fourth group game. The women's footballers did not have much better luck. At least the basketball team got out of the groups... and the good news is that they won't get creamed by the US and become a national disgrace.”


Serbia bounce China out of bastketball

Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi-kem has vowed that the team will bounce back from its semi-final loss to Japan and be ready for the battle for bronze against Germany tomorrow.
“We have one more day before the match, adjust our mental and physical state,” Doo said afterwards. “We’ll put today’s match behind us and play more aggressively against Germany.”
Coach Li Ching says the team will study their performance against Japan, and come back stronger.
“All three of our players wanted to win and they made variations of their game,” the coach said, “but as I said if you don’t attack you can’t win.”


Doo vows aggressive approach against Germany


It ends at 1.80m for Zheng in the high jump, but Katerina Johnson-Thompson goes over at 1.83m at the third attempt, picking up valuable points.
The Commonwealth Games one-two pair have not had the best of preparations. Zheng spent the best part of the three years since her silver in the international wilderness, as she was unable to compete while waiting on clearance from World Athletics, while her rival has struggled with injury, and was touch and go for Tokyo.
Zheng will be no higher than eighth going into the evening session.


Zheng going into evening session behind

Sydney McLaughlin broke her own world record this morning and won the 400m hurdles gold, finishing in 51.46 seconds in yet another close victory over US teammate Dalilah Muhammad.
McLaughlin came from behind after the last hurdle to top the defending Olympic champion. Muhammad’s time of of 51.58 also beat McLaughlin’s old record of 51.9, set at Olympic trials last month.
Femke Bol of the Netherlands finished third. (AP)


New world record in women’s 400m hurdles

Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya has boarded a plane to Vienna, although it is unknown if that is her final destination.
Tsimanouskaya has had a very public falling out with team officials, and has claimed she would be punished if she returned home to an autocratic government that has relentlessly stifled any criticism.
She was seen in Tokyo on Wednesday morning entering Narita International Airport surrounded by an entourage.
The International Olympic Committee says it will question two Belarus team officials, Artur Shumak and Yuri Moisevich, as part of a disciplinary case it has opened into the incident.




Belarus sprinter leaves Japan

Heptathlete Zheng Ninali has made history in Tokyo, becoming China’s first naturalised Olympian and fulfilling her grandmother’s Olympic dream.
The 22-year-old was previously known as Nina Schultz and competed for Canada, including winning a silver at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018, where she finished second to Britain’s Olympic champion Katerina Johnson-Thompson.
You can learn all about Ninali here.


Profile: who is Chinese heptathlete Zheng Ninali


Jonathan White is reliving his not so misspent youth at the Ariake Urban Sports Park.
“Shove it, mum*. Telling me all that time playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater on the PlayStation was a waste of time. Now here we are with gold medal skating at the Olympics.”
Note: *a shove-it (or shuvit) is one of many of the tricks on show here in the skatepark. It involves making the board spin 180 degrees, or more, without the tail of the board hitting the ground.


Turns out, gaming is not a waste of time

Twelve-year-old Hend Zaza, Syrian table tennis prodigy and youngest athlete at the Tokyo Olympics, has been invited to train in China and is expected to arrive as early as September, state media said.
Zaza lost to Austria’s Liu Jia in straight sets in the opening round of the women’s singles – her Games debut over in 24 minutes.
Despite being knocked out, ﻿Zaza was a “great talent” with good rhythm and instincts, Liu, 39, told Xinhua. “When she is 14 or 16, she will be a strong opponent,” Liu said.


Syrian table tennis prodigy to get China training


The latest Hong Kong medal contender to take the stage in Tokyo, karate exponent Grace Lau Mo-sheung is to get her once-in-a-lifetime moment after circling among the world elite for as long as she can remember.
Lau will be making her Olympic debut in what could be the first and last time karate features at a Games. It was one of four non-permanent sports added to Tokyo, with Paris 2024 already confirming it will not make an appearance.
Here’s everything you need to know about Lau before her Games begins tomorrow.


Meet Hong Kong medal contender Grace Lau


Japan’s Sakura Yosozumi won gold in the women’s park skateboarding event in the discipline’s debut at the Tokyo Olympics this morning.
Her compatriot, 12-year-old Kokona Hiraki took silver, becoming her country’s youngest medallist, while Britain’s Sky Brown won bronze.
Jonathan White seems to have thoroughly enjoyed himself.
“Skateboarding, what a brilliant addition to the Olympics. There’s much to criticise the IOC for, but that was fantastic sport.
“Someone just cycled over to tell the Japanese soldiers at the skate park security gates that Japan won #Olympics skating gold and silver, and a claim to bronze for the half-Japanese British skater Sky Brown. The soldiers were utterly delighted.”


Japan one-two in women’s stakeboarding


Tiffany Chan had a tough day on the course in the first round of the women’s golf tournament this morning.
The Hongkonger shot a six-over par 77 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club, leaving her in a tie for 59th. Nelly Korda of the US was the early clubhouse leader at four-under.
Chan made a solid start to the day and was even-par through her first five holes, but she dropped shots at the par 4 sixth and ninth to reach the turn at two-over. The back nine started badly, with a double-bogey at the par 4 11th, and she followed that with back-to-back bogeys at 12 and 13.
However, Chan managed to stop the rot from there, and parred her final five holes.


Golfer Chan struggles in first round

Defending champion Liam Heath set an Olympic best time in the quarter-finals of the men’s kayak single 200m competition on Wednesday after the Briton had earlier failed to gain direct entry into the last-four stage from his heat.
Heath finished third in his heat behind Hungary’s Kolos Csizmadia - who eclipsed the double world champion’s previous Games record of 35.197 seconds set en route to gold in Rio - and Spain’s Carlos Arevalo, to drop into the quarters.
The 36-year-old saved his best performance for his second race of the day amid hot and breezy conditions at Sea Forest Waterway to cross the line in 33.985 seconds and advance.



Heath saves best for last in kayak

Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching has been speaking to AFP after her first round of the women’s golf competition at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama.
“I had a little pressure at the beginning, you know, it’s still Olympics, still a little different atmosphere than on the Tour,” she said. “I mean I always feel a little pressure on the first tee, I think that’s normal for every golfer.
“But I think I handled it pretty well and then made a couple mistakes and just couldn’t recover fast enough. I think the last couple holes I parred them all in. But I can definitely do a lot better the next three days.
“I just keep telling myself I wasted all my chance or I gave up all my chances today and only ended up making a bogey. And I got three more days and it’s just golf. Every day is a new day.
“I’m still feeling very positive and at the beginning of the week I told everyone that I’m very grateful to be here and I’m not going to give up right now. I still got three more days and I just am going to try my best.”



Tiffany Chan ‘still feeling positive’


Mainland fans had their first look at Zheng Ninali – also known as Nina Schultz – and were taken up by a tattoo on her right thigh saying “Do Your Best” written in Chinese characters.
The 22-year-old granddaughter of China’s former high jump world-record holder Zheng Fengrong is a naturalised Chinese citizen. She was born in Canada to a German father and Chinese mother and won a silver medal in the heptathlon under Canadian colours at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
“Look, it’s even written in Chinese,” said one Weibo user.
“She gave up her Canadian citizenship to represent China, not many would do that. We should all support her,” wrote another.

Zheng may not be the only member of her family to represent China at the Olympics. Her brother Ty, also known as Zheng Enlai, is an accomplished ice hockey player and is hoping to represent the mainland at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Zheng is ninth overall after two events, with a total of 2,062 points. She scored 978 for high jump, clearing 1.80m after running 13.27 seconds for the 100m hurdles, scoring 1,084 points.
Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam leads with 2,176 ahead of American Erica Bougard (2,157) and Great Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson (2,138). The heptathlon continues this evening and concludes on Thursday.


‘We should all support her’

The Tokyo Olympic organising committee said on Wednesday five confirmed Covid-19 cases among the Greek artistic swimming team are the first cluster of infections in the athletes’ village.
“I have to say it is a cluster,” a committee spokesman said after it reported 29 more Covid-19 cases associated with the Olympics, the highest daily count, bringing the cumulative total to over 300.
The committee said the 29 cases include three Greek artistic swimmers who were staying in the village for the Olympics. On Tuesday, Greece said it will withdraw from artistic swimming competitions as several members of the team have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Among the 12-member Greek artistic swimming team, four athletes and one official have tested positive for Covid-19. All the members, including seven who had tested negative for the virus, had already left the village and relocated to isolation facilities, according to the committee.
The daily figure also includes another athlete from overseas, it said, without identifying from which country. Besides the athletes, they are 19 contractors and four volunteers and two games-linked officials. Of the total, 24 were residents of Japan. (Kyodo)


Covid-19 cases confirmed in athletes’ village

China’s Gu Hong has made it through to the final of the women’s boxing in the welterweight division after a split-decision win over American Oshae Jones.
She will fight Turkey’s Busenaz Surmeneli, the top seed, who was lifted by a home-turf atmosphere at the Kokugikan arena in her semi-final, with a loud Turkish team contingent making its presence known, chanting and cheering her every move in her win over India’s Lovlina Borgohain.


Gu to fight for welterweight gold

Sky Brown has spoken to the media after winning bronze in women’s skateboard park at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on Wednesday.
“I’m so happy,” the 13-year-old Briton said, of landing her run with her third and final attempt to make the podium. “I fell twice [trying the kickflip indy] and I was like, ‘That’s kinda sketchy’, so I was like, ‘I gotta make it’. And I didn’t really think I was going to make it but I did it, and I’m so happy.
  “It was unbelievable. Even right now it feels like a dream. It’s insane. I’m so happy and so thankful and so proud of every one of the other girls, too.”



Brown cherishes ‘dream’ skateboarding bronze

Breanna Stewart scored 20 of her 23 points in the first half to help the US beat Australia 79-55 in the quarter-finals of the women’s basketball.
The Americans face Serbia on Friday in the semi-finals looking to advance to their seventh consecutive gold medal game. The Serbians, who won bronze at the 2016 Rio Games, rallied to beat China 77-70 in their quarter-final earlier in the day.


US ease past Australia, Serbia await

China’s men’s table tennis team have a foot in the final.
They are 2-0 up over South Korea with Ma Long and Lee Sang-su about to get to it in the third match. Winner will play either Japan or Germany for gold.


China close in on table tennis final

Sarah Lee and Jessica Ho are minutes away from their heats in the opening round of the women’s keirin event.
Cyclist Lee enters the Games with genuine hopes of a medal, after winning bronze in London in 2012.
Ho’s race is at 3.10pm, and Lee straight after.



Lee and Ho moments away from cycling races


Sarah Lee came third in her heat of the women’s keirin and will now have to try and qualify for the quarter-finals through the repechage later this afternoon.
Lee finished just behind Sophie Fredrich of Germany, and the ROC’s Daria Shmeleva
In the first heat, Jessica Ho came last, but will also get another shot to make the quarter-finals. 
Her heat was won by Katy Marchant of Great Britain, with the Netherlands’ Laurine van Riessen second.


Lee third in heat, faces repechage to progress

Flying Dutchmen Jeffrey Hoogland and Harrie Lavreysen could not be separated as they set an identical Olympic record in the qualifying rides for the individual sprint on Wednesday.
Britain’s Jack Carlin put down an early marker in the 200m flying start with a new Olympic record 9.306 seconds. But then Hoogland clocked 9.215 and was immediately matched by Lavreysen, one of his team mates in Tuesday’s team sprint in which the Netherlands took the gold medal.
Paul Nicholas of Trinidad and Tobago, world record holder for the 200m flying start, was fourth quickest.


Flying Dutchmen set pace in sprint

Hong Kong cyclists Sarah Lee and Jessica will attempt to qualify for the quarter-finals of the women’s keirin in about 10 minutes.


Lee and Ho back on track

Jessica Lee Hoi-yan finishes fourth of five in the women’s keirin repechage heat 1 at the Izu Velodrome.
Her teammate and Hong Kong Olympic medal hope Sarah Lee Wai-sze races in the next heat.



Jessica Lee out

Hong Kong track cycling star Sarah Lee Wai-sze is through to the women’s keirin quarter-finals after finishing first in her repechage heat.
She had to do it the hard way, coming from the back of the pack. 



Sarah Lee through

The Malaysian track cycling team are delighted with their two riders’ start in the men’s sprint heats. Azizulhasni Awang and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom are both into the round of 16.
“In my opinion both Malaysian riders have done a great job,” team manager Ashakari Abu Noor told the Post. “Though this is not Azizulhasni’s pet event, I believe there is a room for him to improve.
“Let’s pray for a fantastic result in the next round. They are doing great and looking forward for the next event.”



Malaysian riders ‘doing great’


Simone Biles says she will always “cherish this unique Olympic experience” despite her time in Tokyo being derailed by a psychological condition known as ‘the twisties’.
Biles withdrew during last week’s team competition, suffering from an inability to orientate herself in mid-air. She subsequently pulled out of the all-around final, and the first three apparatus finals, returning to claim bronze in Tuesday’s closing beam.
With team silver Biles leaves Japan with two minor medals, a far cry from the four golds and bronze from Rio five years ago.
“Not at all how I imagined or dreamed my second Olympics would go but blessed to represent the USA,” she said in a post on Instagram.
“I’ll forever cherish this unique olympic experience. Thanks everyone for the endless love and support. I’m truly grateful – leaving Tokyo with 2 more Olympic medals to add to my collection isn’t too shabby! 7 time Olympic medalist.”


Biles will ‘forever cherish’ Tokyo Games


Chinese teenagers Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan have secured the top two spots in the preliminaries for the women’s 10 metre platform diving, while 2012 bronze medalist Pandelela Pamg of Malaysia was rocky throughout.
Chen, 15, led the way from the start, scoring 81.00 points in her first dive, the highest in the round, when she sliced neatly into the water. Chen never gave up her top spot in any round.
The 14-year-old Quan, the event’s youngest contender, had ups and downs and scored only 47.85 points in her third dive, but her other four dives were within top three.

Delaney Schnell of the United States came third, followed by Australia’s Melissa Wu.
Four-time Olympian Pamg was well below her usual form, earning just 28.80 points in her fourth dive, the lowest in the round, but redeemed herself in her final attempt and ended up qualifying in last place.
Freida Lim, the first female Singaporean diver to qualify for the Olympics, exited the Games after finishing last. (Reuters)


Chinese teens on top in 10m platform

China’s men followed the women into the team’s table tennis gold-medal match with a relatively trouble-free victory over South Korea.
It ended 3-0 after one doubles and two singles contests but the Koreans offered some resistance to the sport’s titans, who are gunning for a fourth gold in a row since the team event was introduced in 2008.
The odds suggest they will face Japan, which is how it has unfolded in both the women’s team final as well as the mixed doubles.
Read Paul Ryding’s full report here. 


China into men’s table tennis final

It’s been a fairly quiet Wednesday for Hong Kong, but things are about to pick up on Day 13 at the Tokyo Olympics.
Hong Kong are in the mix for medals, with Sarah Lee Wai-sze leading the charge again in the quarter-finals of the women’s kerin track cycling at 3.06pm.
Before that, all eyes will be on the women’s table tennis team, who will go for bronze against Germany at 10am.
At 9am, Grace Lau Mo-sheung competes in the elimination round of the women’s kata in the karate, one of the new sports at these Games.
Tiffany Chan will also hope her luck turns after a disappointing opening day of the women’s golf, and she starts at 6.30am.
Even earlier will be William Yan Thorley, who’s up in the men’s 10km marathon swimming at 5.30am.
