Team BC with singles success
By Drew Todd, Team BC Mission Staff
No medals were handed out during gameplay Friday, but all non-medal matches are now complete. Friday’s draw consisted of completing all relegation matches, which determined the standings from fifth on. The day’s action also included the semi-final matchups, setting up Saturday’s finals.
In the morning, four Team BC athletes battled to ensure a high standing in order to up the overall flag points contribution. In the girls play, Natasha Carr-Harris (Vancouver) finished strong to take the seventh spot, while teammate Leanne Lee (Burnaby) was able to secure ninth. For the boys, Frank Liao (Vancouver) and Mike Yue (New Westminster) battled hard to earn the 10th and 11th respectively.
In the afternoon, the rest of the Team BC contingent had their semi-final matchups, fighting for spots in the finals. First up was Ivy Liao (Vancouver) into face a competitor from Team Quebec. It was an exhilarating, intense match that went the distance. After tying the game up at six points apiece, the Team Quebec athlete faltered and Liao took advantage and never looked back. Liao took the deciding game and will now face off against Team Ontario in the final.
Next up for Team BC was the boys’ semi-final featuring Michael Luo (Burnaby) in a matchup versus Team Alberta. Luo came out hot, roaring to a quick two game lead on his opponent. Team Alberta took the third game, but Luo decisively stomped out any hope of a comeback with a dominant fourth game to take the victory.
After the match, Luo gave all credit to his coach and support team for his success. “Mostly thanks to my great coach Mo (Zhang). She taught me how to more mentally prepare.” Additionally, Luo cited the fantastic work done by Team BC Mental Performance Consultant, Dave Freeze. “Thanks to my psychologist. I didn’t do much, I just did what they told me to.”
The slate of matches Saturday will bring an end to the table tennis competition at the 2015 Canada Winter Games and highlights only medal matches. In addition to Liao’s (Ivy) and Luo’s singles finals matches, Team BC also competes for doubles gold and mixed doubles bronze.
See Canada Games live streaming at www.canadagamestv.ca and follow live updates on Twitter from @GoTeamBC with the hashtag #TBCTableTennis.