SINGAPORE - National tandem cyclist Steve Tee and his pilot Ang Kee Meng's last event at the Tokyo Paralympics was marred by a broken chainring that left them unable to finish the men's B time trial (road) event on Tuesday (Aug 31).
Despite multiple attempts to fix the issue, the chainring kept coming off and they could not complete the race at the Fuji International Speedway. Britons Stephen Bate and Adam Duggleby also did not finish the race.
The event was won by French cyclist Alexandre Lloveras and his pilot Corentin Ermenault in 41min 54.02sec, with the Netherlands' Vincent ter Schure and Timo Fransen took silver in 42:00.77. Spaniards Christian Venge Balboa and Noel Martin Infante were third in 42:52.12.
While it was not how Tee and Ang had envisioned their campaign ending, they were pleased with their performance at the Tokyo Games, where they achieved two personal bests at the Izu Velodrome in the men's B 4,000m individual pursuit and men's B 1,000m time trial events.
They finished ninth out of 14 pairs in the men's B 4,000m individual pursuit and eighth of 10 in the men's B 1,000m time trial.
Tee, 40, said: "Overall, we are really happy with our debut results, hitting our targets of breaking personal best and getting into top 10 in both events. I would say it has been a fruitful Games."
Their next competition will be next year's Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, where they are aiming for podium finishes in their track events.
But for now, Tee and Ang are looking forward to heading back to Singapore for some rest and reuniting with their friends and family members.
Ang, 34, said: "This Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games experience has been a fulfilling one. We have sacrificed a lot to get here. For us to realise a shared dream together, is something we will never ever forget. We have many people to thank for being with us on our journey.
"We saw many people from all walks of life cheering us and supporting us from back home. The first thing I will do upon returning to Singapore is give my loved ones a big hug."
