Campus Digest

HKBU athlete grabs bronze at World Open Boccia

04 Dec 2015

Ho Yuen-kei (China Studies, Year 2) won a bronze medal in the BC3 Individual event of the World Open Boccia held at Santiago de Cali, Colombia.

Yuen-kei did not expect to win an award in the competition, especially as the competitors in the round of 16 and quarter-finals were just as competent. With the encouragement and support from her coach and teammates, she demonstrated her tremendous talent. Accumulating confidence in each round of the competition, she eventually achieved her personal best and won a bronze medal.

Yuen-kei who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy has taken part in boccia since 2008 but has had the sports classification changed due to deterioration in her physical condition. She once wanted to give up the sport as she found it too challenging to adapt to the rules of the new classification and strike a balance between playing boccia and studying. After gaining advice and comfort from her coach, teammates, family members and schoolmates, she continued to participate in her favourite sport regardless of the performance result.

She is now devoting herself to training and preparing for the world competition to be held in March next year to qualify for the 2016 Paralympic Games.