HONG KONG – Hong Kong competitors on Thursday again raised the bar at the Tokyo Olympics, with the women’s table tennis team and karate expert Grace Lau Mo-sheung winning bronze medals.
So far, the city has bagged a record five medals at the Games, including a gold in fencing and two silvers in swimming.
Li Ching, the coach of the Hong Kong women’s table tennis team, said he was more excited about the bronze medal won by Minnie Soo Wai-yam, Doo Hoi-kem and Lee Ho-ching than his own silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the men’s doubles.
It was the first Olympic medal for the Hong Kong women’s table tennis team, and the second for the whole team after the silver won 17 years ago by Li and Ko Lai-chak.
In a phone interview with China Daily, Li said the team members outdid themselves and played their best after going through ups and downs in previous games. Earlier, Doo failed to make the final 16 in the individual and mixed doubles, and Soo did not make the last 32 of the singles.
The bronze medal race had an extra edge to it as Germany’s lineup was the same one that had beat Hong Kong 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rio Games. However, Hong Kong this time turned the tables on their European rivals, winning 3-1.
In the race, Doo and Lee lost the doubles match 3-1 to Shan Xiaona and Petrissa Solja, but Soo evened the score with a 3-1 win over Han Ying in the following singles. Doo then blanked Solja 3-0 before Soo wrapped up the contest by beating Shan 3-0.
An emotional Lee, 28, who was competing in her third Olympics, said it was a dream come true. “We have striven for a medal at every Games, and we have lost count of the years we have waited” for a medal, she told the media.
After China beat Japan 3-0 to clinch gold in the women’s table tennis event, the Hong Kong team shared the podium with their mainland peers Chen Meng, Sun Yingsha, and Wang Manyu. While the Chinese anthem was being played, both teams saluted the national flag and the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the first time at the Tokyo Olympics.
The celebratory mood was boosted by the medal won by Lau in the women’s solo kata in karate, one of the four new Olympic sports. The first-time Olympian beat Turkey’s Bozan Dilara by 0.42 points to win bronze at the Nippon Budokan.
Lau, 29, said it was “amazing” just to be on the “highest and biggest sports stage”, let alone winning a medal. The 1.51-meter-tall karateka encouraged the public to always believe in themselves so that when the time comes, they will be ready to give their best efforts.
Track cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze, a bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, finished fifth in the women’s keirin semifinal heat. She did not advance to the final 1-6, but finished eighth overall in the 7-12 final.
Hong Kong athletes have claimed more medals in Tokyo than in all their previous Olympics appearances combined. To veteran sportsman Li, the table tennis team’s bronze, losing only to China and Japan, was a satisfactory result, given its limited resources and investment.
Li thanked the Chinese national team for providing opportunities for Hong Kong to train with it before the Games, which helped players stay in competitive shape. At that time, most international events, including the Asian Championships, were canceled or postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said a close-door warm-up game in June between Hong Kong players and their mainland peers had a remarkably positive effect on Hong Kong’s performance in Tokyo. The encounters with the world’s best have boosted Hong Kong’s morale and skills, Li said.
So far, the Chinese table tennis team has bagged three gold and three silver medals.
Buoyed by the outstanding performance of the Hong Kong team, Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, vice-president of Hong Kong’s Sports Federation and Olympic Committee, said he will discuss with the Hong Kong government the need to put more resources in holding major local sports events.
mollychen@chinadailyhk.com