Hong Kong really excelled at the Tokyo Olympics this year, with local athletes bringing home more medals than ever before! Six medals in total were won, including 1 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze. Hong Kong won its first gold medal back in 1996 and second this year in 2021, making it all the more historic. As a whole, we came in 49th out of 86 teams from around the world, with the usual suspects like the USA, China, Japan, and Britain leading the way. Meet the men and women who not only made their parents proud but all of Hong Kong too!
GOLD
Foil Fencing: Men’s Individual - Cheung Ka Long
Thanks to Ka Long, Hong Kong has seen a surge in parents signing their kids up for fencing classes, lovingly called the ‘Ka Long’ effect by HKFP! But in an even bigger win, he has won Hong Kong’s second gold medal in history and beat the Italian opposition 15-11. Cheung said, “I told myself, 'I am nothing against him. He is the Olympic champion'. I just kept fighting until the end.”
SILVER
Swimming: Women’s 100M & 200M Freestyle - Siobhan Haughey
Siobhan has made history by becoming the first Hong Kong athlete to bring home two medals in this sport, getting back-to-back silver medals in both the 100m freestyle and the 200m freestyle. Before heading off to her next race in Italy, she told SCMP, “Especially in Hong Kong, winning a medal is so hard and precious and so rare that I want to take it out and show everyone. I want them to see them and touch them and take photos with them, and be inspired by them. I don’t want them to just be sitting in my room somewhere. Hopefully, I can show them to some kids or teenagers or anyone, and when they feel them and touch them, they are inspired by them, and they can go on and chase their dreams.”
BRONZE
Table Tennis: Women’s Team- Doo Hoi-Kem, Lee Ho Ching, and Minnie Soo
Beating Germany 3-1, the game seemed lost early on, but Doo Hoi-kem, Lee Ho-ching and Minnie Soo rallied and secured a victory for Hong Kong. It is the city’s second-ever Olympics medal in table tennis and the first medal for three-time Olympian Lee Ho-ching. Minnie said, “Winning the first match already felt impossible to me! I’m really grateful to those two
Kata-Karate: Women- Grace Lau
This may well be the last time we see karate at the Olympics; currently, it is not scheduled to be a part of the 2024 games in Paris. Regardless, Grace Lau secured a win, taking home Hong Kong’s first and maybe only Olympics bronze medal in Women’s solo Kata. She told reporters, “The Olympic Games are athletes’ highest and largest platform, it’s already incredible that can participate in it, I’m happy that I have the ability to win this medal.”
Track Cycling: Women's Sprint - Sarah Lee
The first and only Hong Kong athlete to win medals in two different Olympics games, Sarah brought home a bronze for Women’s keirin in the 2012 London Olympics and now the Tokyo Olympics. After a shaky start, she found her stride and secured Hong Kong’s 6th medal this year. She said, “Everyone had great expectations this time. I hope to win a gold medal, but while we strive hard in life to accomplish one thing, although the result is not what we want, but at least we have tried our best, no regrets.”
A massive round of applause to all the participants at this year’s Tokyo Olympics. Medals or not, you’ve made Home Kong proud!
Chan Chung Wang, Ching Siu Nga, Ng Ka Long, Cheung Ngan Yi, Tang Chun Man, Tse Ying Suet, Choy Hui Fung, Lee Hoi Yan, Lee Wai Sze, Pang Yao, Leung Bo Yee, Thomas Heffernan Ho, Cheung Ka Long, Cheung Siu Lun, Ryan Choi, Lawrence Ng Lok Wang, Vivian Kong, Kaylin Hsieh, Coco Lin, Moonie Chu, Tiffany Chan, Shek Wai Hung, Grace Lau, Winnie Hung, Michael Cheng, Hayley Chan, Stephanie Norton, Chen Haohui, Ian Ho, William Thorley, Siobhan Haughey, Camille Cheng, Stephanie Au, Ho Nam Wai, Tam Hoi Lan, Toto Wong, Doo Hoi Kem, Lee Ho Ching, Minnie Soo Wai Yam, Oscar Coggins, Yang Qianyu and Zhu Chengzhu.