Chinese city's record medal haul grabs imagination of local residents, triggers spike in sports participation

People in a shopping mall in Hong Kong watch a broadcast of fencer Cheung Ka-long competing in the men's team foil competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Aug 1. (BERTHA WANG / AFP)

Basking in the glow of its most successful ever Olympic Games, Hong Kong hopes its superb Tokyo 2020 campaign can inspire future generations of athletes to shine on the world's biggest stage.

Track cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze's bronze in the women's sprint event last Sunday took the 46-strong Hong Kong team's final medal tally to a record total of six. With one gold, two silver and three bronze medals, the city ranked 49th in the overall standings. Prior to the Tokyo Games, the city had managed only three medals since its debut at the Olympics in 1952.

The 34-year-old Lee, dubbed Hong Kong's "cycling goddess", drew on all her experience to beat Germany's Emma Hinze in the women's sprint, adding to the keirin bronze she won at London 2012.

Earlier on Sunday, Lee saw her chances of gold disappear when she lost to Ukraine's Olena Starikova in the semifinals.

Lee told reporters that with her latest bronze medal, she had realized "half of her dream", and although the result wasn't ideal, she had tried her best and had no regrets.

The veteran athlete also said she had come under "huge pressure" after losing the chance to go for the gold medal. But, with the support of her team, family and fans back home, she overcame the setback.

Hong Kong residents gathered at shopping malls across the city to cheer on Lee in the semifinal and bronze-medal races.

Lee Wai-sze of Hong Kong, China shows off her bronze medal after finishing third in the track cycling women's sprint at Tokyo 2020 on Aug 8. (CHRISTOPHE ENA / AP)

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who watched the action live on TV at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, congratulated Lee, describing her as a "Hong Kong legend".

"She has shown that her competence and determination have passed the test of time, and she has become a Hong Kong legend with her brilliant results. All Hong Kong people are overjoyed at her achievements," Lam said.

Lee is a two-time world champion (2013, 2019), and has collected golds at the Asian Games across multiple disciplines, in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

Summing up the Hong Kong team's impressive performance at the Tokyo Games, Lam said many of the city's athletes had recorded personal bests, and local residents were immensely proud of them.

She added that their success was due to their relentless efforts and the support of the local community, noting that the SAR government had allocated HK$737 million (US$95 million) for the Hong Kong Sports Institute in the 2021-2022 financial year－up about 42 percent from 2017-2018.

Lam hopes their historic performance can inject fresh momentum into the development of sports in Hong Kong, with more support from both commercial enterprises and residents.

In the short term, Hong Kong will participate in China's 14th National Games in Shaanxi province, beginning in September.

Following the Tokyo Olympics, a number of Hong Kong athletes headed to the Chinese mainland to prepare for the National Games.

Lau Mo-sheung Grace of Hong Kong competes in the ranking round of the women's kata for Karate at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Aug 5, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (VINCENT THIAN / AP)

Hong Kong's dazzling performance at Tokyo 2020 has fueled local residents' enthusiasm for sports and inspired young athletes to emulate the Olympians' feats.

After Cheung Ka-long won the city's first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, in the men's individual foil fencing event, registrations for fencing classes in the city rose up to 70 percent, according to the Hong Kong Fencing School.

"Cheung's victory proves that Hong Kong people can shine in international competitions,"13-year-old fencing enthusiast Szeto Tsz-wang told China Daily.

Inspired by Cheung's success, Szeto said he is targeting a place in Hong Kong's fencing team in the future, and hopes to participate in more international competitions.

Karate fighter Lau Mo-sheung secured the city's fifth medal when she won a bronze on Aug 5, the same day Hong Kong's table tennis team defeated Germany to win the bronze medal in the women's team event.

In addition, Hong Kong swimmer Siobhan Haughey captured two silvers in the pool.

According to a recent survey, more than 70 percent of local residents believe Hong Kong should hold more international sports events, such as the Asian Youth Games and the FISU World University Games.

Chloe Xu contributed to this story.