Macao China sports delegation participated the “2019 Arafura Games” held in Darwin, Australia from April 26 to May 4, winning 1 gold, 4 silvers and 4 bronzes in total in the athletics, indoor volleyball and table tennis events.
The opening ceremony of the Arafura Games was held at Darwin Waterfront at 6:30 p.m. on the 26th. The leader of the sports delegation, President of the Sports Bureau Pun Weng Kun attended the opening ceremony together with the members of the delegation. The flag bearer was track and field athlete Xu Xin, who was warmly received by the delegation and other members when entering the arena.
Xu Xin Wins the First Gold Medal
Macao sports delegation made its achievement known right on the 27th, the first day of the event. During the track event, Wong Ka IN won a silver in the men’s 100-meter final with the result 11.26. Chan Man Wai won a bronze in the women’s 100-meter final with the result 12.74. In the final of the long-jump event, Wan Ka Ieng ranked the 5th. On the 28th, the athletics team, who had become more confident, made more accomplishments. Xu Xin became the gold-medalist in the 110-meter hurdle final. Wong Ka Lio became a silver-medalist in the men’s 200-meter final with the result 22.51. Chan Man Wai became a bronze-medalist in the women’s 200-meter final with the result 26.71. To sum up, the athletics team won 1 gold, 2 silvers and 2 bronzes for Macao in this two-day event.
Xu Xin, who won the first gold medal in the men’s 110-meter hurdle event with the result 14.97, stated that , “I felt calm and peaceful before the contest. I just hoped to try my best during the contest and I had not thought about ranking high. After this event, I will continue to receive training aiming at the Youth Games in August. I hope I can get an even better result.”
Table Tennis Team Performs Greatly
For the table tennis match on the 29th, Macao China sports delegation won another medal. Mak Tin Ian and Ho Chon Fai from the youth group of Macao men’s team won 3:2 against Hong Kong Team 2 during the team match among the best four teams. However, they lost 0:3 to Hong Kong Team 1 in the final and merely won a silver medal. The women’s youth team matches were conducted in the form of a round-robin tournament. Macao women’s team, composed of Lei Wai Mei and Cheong Pui Man, lost to Chinese Taipei, Australia and Malaysia, but when they competed against the latter two teams, victories were not decided until after five matches. Both Macao and Malaysia became the second runner-up. In the men’s match among the best four teams, Mak Tin Ian, who partnered up with Ho Chon Fai, admitted that they had learned a lot during the event, “The greatest gain was of course this silver medal. Next was the fact I could witness how strong players from other regions were. Like Hong Kong players, they could always perform stably. They were prepared for countering all the time and they could hit at the right place. This is what we must learn from”. In terms of the individual contests, Macao players stopped at the group matches among the best 16 teams.
Make Full Efforts in Volleyball Matches
In terms of volleyball matches, the men’s and women’s volleyball team were rewarded a silver and a bronze respectively in total in this event. The Macao men’s team defeated UTP team from Malaysia in three consecutive matches among the best four teams. Regrettably, they lost to a strong Chinese Taipei team during the final. Eventually, they got a silver medal after losing 0:3. The women’s team lost to Malaysia in the match among the best four teams. In the match deciding the third place, they won 3:2 over Australian Defence Force and won a bronze. The coach of the men’s volleyball, Ao Chi Weng, was very satisfied with the result, “All participants in this event were equally competitive. Each match required athletes to try their best. Moreover, the six intensive matches held on three days in the event were a very good training experience for Macao youth team.”
In terms of the football event, Macao team lost to Northern Territory in the first group match. In the second match, they were tied 1:1 with East Timor and could not proceed. In the basketball event, Macao team lost to Northern Territory in the first group match, while they defeated Australian First Army and eventually finished all matches ranking the 9th.
