Hong Kong athletes continued their outstanding performances on Sunday at the 15th National Games, clinching two golds, one silver and one bronze across swimming, field cycling, fencing and triathlon.

Added to the five won on Saturday, the city’s medal count has now reached 14 — seven golds, two silvers and five bronzes — as of Sunday night.

Sunday’s honors went to swimmer Ian Ho Yen-tou, who won gold in the men’s 50-meter freestyle, fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long, winner of bronze in the men’s foil individual event, cyclists Lee Sze-wing and Leung Wing-yee who shared gold in the women’s Madison field cycling event, and the Hong Kong triathlon team — Cade Wright, Robin Elg, Bailee Brown and Oscar Coggins — winners of a mixed relay silver in the triathlon.

Earlier in the morning, cyclists Lee and Leung secured victory in the women’s Madison competition with a score of 45 points, surpassing the team from Sichuan province, which claimed the silver medal. The bronze went to the Beijing team.

In the afternoon’s men’s 50m freestyle swimming final, Ho, a first-time National Games competitor, broke the Hong Kong record with a time of 21.71 seconds, securing the first-place position over the Liaoning team’s Chen Hao, who claimed silver. Zhejiang’s Pan Zhanle, the Paris Olympics gold medalist in the men’s 100m freestyle, and Liu Wudi from the Fujian team shared the third spot.

The previous Hong Kong record of 21.82 seconds was also held by Ho. Consecutively shattering Hong Kong records, Ho described the excitement as “irreplaceable” by any other competition experience. He said this has been his best swimming season yet, during which he has focused on the races without setting distant goals or imposing undue pressure on himself.

Reflecting on his debut at the National Games, Ho said the competition with other athletes is at a very high level, adding that it is interesting to encounter familiar faces and make new acquaintances on the field. He revealed plans to take a break after the National Games before pursuing his next target — the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

The four triathletes finished the Central Harbourfront course in one hour, 24 minutes and 16 seconds, ending up with a silver medal as they were 11 seconds behind the Shandong team.

In the evening’s bronze medal match in the men’s foil individual event, Cheung, with a score of 15-2 in a single round, quickly defeated Zeng Zhaoran, who competed as an individual athlete. Prior to that, in the semifinals, Cheung was bested by Xu Jie from the Fujian team, narrowly missing out on a top two position.

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Nicknamed “the Fencing God” by many Hong Kong residents, Cheung was the first Hong Kong athlete to secure two Olympic gold medals, as well as winning golds at the Asian Games, the Men’s Foil World Cup, and the Asian Fencing Championships.

After the race Cheung told the media that he regretted missing out on the gold medal, while also praising his opponent Xu for an exceptional performance, particularly in distance control. He noted significant progress in Xu compared to their previous encounter at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

Cheung said that he resumed training a month ago and had not taken part in any competitions during that period. Winning the bronze medal was stimulation to start the new season, he said, adding that he will work on his condition and strive to win a gold medal in the upcoming team events.

The foil event received strong support from Hong Kong residents and enthusiasts, with tickets selling out completely and the Kai Tak Arena almost full from the beginning of the afternoon session. Spectators were deeply engaged in every move by the athletes and cheered on their teams with enthusiasm.

Primary student Anson Fung, 11, came with his mother to support Cheung. He said the difference between watching Cheung on television and experiencing the vibrant atmosphere in the arena was huge.

After Cheung won the bronze, Anson joyfully celebrated with his mother, grateful for Cheung’s combatant spirit and his contribution to Hong Kong’s medal count.

Reflecting on Cheung’s semifinal loss, Fung said while he was initially unhappy, he realized the essence of sporting spirit is in participation. Fung’s mother said Cheung’s previous victories had uplifted Hong Kong residents and introduced many people in the city to the sport, which is why she brought her son to experience the atmosphere first-hand.

Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com