August 28, 2018, 10:40 AM 
Singapore's men's team of contract bridge players has won a gold medal for Singapore, making them the first-ever contract bridge gold medallists at the Asian Games.
The team consisted of Poon Hua, Loo Choon Chou, Zhang Yukun, Fong Kien Hoong, Desmond Oh and Kelvin Ong.
Winning gold
On Sunday, August 26, Singapore beat India in the semi-finals and advanced to the finals against the Hong Kong team, the match for which was held on Monday, August 27.
In the finals, Team Singapore led with a score of 35-26 after the first segment, and subsequently, widened this gap to 73-35 in the second segment to take home the gold medal.
This is Singapore's third gold medal at the Asian Games 2018.
Photo of Loo Choo Chou. Photo by SportSG, via Team Singapore's Facebook.
Photo by SportSG, via Team Singapore's Facebook.
Photo of Loo Choon Chou. Photo by SportSG, via Team Singapore's Facebook.
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Previously featured at two earlier SEA Games
Contract bridge is a game that has been gaining popularity in the region.
It was previously featured at SEA Games 2011, as well as at last year's SEA Games, but this is the first year that it is an event at the Asian Games.
Poon mentioned that the Singapore team has been taking part in overseas tournaments to gain exposure, and he might have been speaking quite humbly of their win, considering the impressive amount of effort they put into this:
"It was a pleasant surprise that our efforts paid off. We have been training hard over the past year. Each partnership dedicated 10-15 hours each week for training and also took part in overseas tournaments to gain exposure."
Photo by SportSG, via Team Singapore's Facebook.
Photo by SportSG, via Team Singapore's Facebook.
The Singapore Contract Bridge Association also hopes this win will help to increase awareness of the game:
“Contract bridge is a game for all ages...In Singapore, we have a good mix of players of all ages. Our Under-25 youth players just won silver at the World Youth Bridge Championships while we have women athletes in our midst still active into their 60s."
Well done, lads! Here's Team Singapore's Facebook post:
Top photo by SportSG, via Team Singapore's Facebook post.
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