PARALYMPICS/Taiwan's Chen wins silver in Paralympics table tennis men's singles

Paris, Sept. 5 (CNA) Taiwanese table tennis prodigy Chen Po-yen (陳柏諺) claimed silver in the men's singles TT11 category at the Paris Paralympics on Thursday (Paris local time) after he was hit with a cramp in his right leg.

Although Chen expressed some disappointment, he said he had relished the Paralympic experience and vowed to aim for gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

At just 17 years old, Chen is the youngest member of Taiwan's Paralympic delegation.

In his debut on the global stage, he impressed fans by defeating Belgium's Florian Van Acker, the 2016 Rio Paralympics gold medalist, and Hungary's Peter Palos, a two-time Paralympic champion, to secure his spot in the final.

Chen then faced South Korea's Kim Gi-tae in the gold medal match and quickly won the first game 11-3.

However, his performance was affected when he got a cramp in his right leg and he narrowly lost the subsequent games, 13-15, 7-11, and 9-11, meaning he had to settle for silver.

In a post-match interview, Chen described his performance as "not bad," noting that he played with a relaxed mindset in the first game.

However, the cramp threw him off balance, despite his coach Wei Chun-ta (魏君達) providing immediate relief through massage.

As his opponent gained momentum, Chen admitted the defeat was unfortunate but remained positive, saying, "It's a bit disappointing, but I thoroughly enjoyed competing here. I'll aim to win the gold next time."

Coach Wei, who has been training Chen for over five years, emphasized that Chen still has room for growth, both mentally and technically.

Wei also acknowledged the support from training partners, medical staff, nutritionists and the enthusiastic cheers from the sidelines.

"Our athletes are incredibly fortunate, and we'll continue pushing forward," Wei said.