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Asian Games: Contract bridge bags third gold for Singapore

SINGAPORE — Team Singapore’s contract bridge players have won a third Asian Games gold medal for the Republic, after the men’s team of Poon Hua, Loo Choon Chou, Zhang Yukun, and Fong Kien Hoong defeated Hong Kong 107-52 (International Master Points) in the final in Jakarta.

Team Singapore’s contract bridge players on the podium after collecting their men’s team gold medal.

Team Singapore’s contract bridge players on the podium after collecting their men’s team gold medal.

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SINGAPORE — Team Singapore’s contract bridge players have won a third Asian Games gold medal for the Republic, after the men’s team of Poon Hua, Loo Choon Chou, Zhang Yukun, and Fong Kien Hoong defeated Hong Kong 107-52 (International Master Points) in the final in Jakarta.

The team title is also the first-ever contract bridge gold at the Asiad for Singapore, as the game is making its debut in the multi-sports event.

Teammates Desmond Oh and Kelvin Ong had also played in the earlier rounds, but did not feature in the final.

On Monday (Aug 27), the quiet of the competition room at the Jakarta International Expo was a stark contrast to the roars of the crowds at other halls where table tennis, weightlifting, and boxing were being contested.

But the nerves and tension were evident among players from both sides, as Singapore and Hong Kong engaged in a battle of wits and strategy to clinch the first bridge gold of the Games.

Team Singapore’s contract bridge players during the men’s team final against Hong Kong. PHOTO: Sport Singapore

Despite some early jitters, Team Singapore claimed the first segment 35-26 against Hong Kong, before extending their lead in the second period, 73-35.

With only one segment left, the Singaporean players promptly wrapped up their campaign with a 107-52 victory over their rivals to claim the gold.

Poon, 37, said: “We’re pretty happy that we managed to do well during the whole tournament, especially in the finals because we didn’t start off very well even though we had a considerable margin.”

Teammate Fong added: “This victory means a lot to us, for me it is a very significant victory because my partner and I spent more than half a year preparing for this, and we put in a lot of effort to make this a success.”

Poon added that the team strategy was to “be cautious in our card play and avoid making mistakes”, as well as apply pressure on their opponents to force them into errors.

“There were errors on our part, but in the end we managed to pull through and kept gaining on every segment so the Hong Kong team didn’t have a chance to get back,” he added.

The team title is the third gold medal for Team Singapore at the 2018 Asian Games, after swimmer Joseph Schooling’s two gold triumph in the men’s 50m and 100m butterfly last week.

With one gold medal in the bag, Team Singapore will also be gunning for glory in the men’s pair, women’s pair, and mixed pair as game play continues this week in Jakarta.

“We are all very happy that this tournament went well, we started well and we’ve been happy (with our performances) over the last seven days,” added Loo.  

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