Hong Kong’s first-ever taekwondo Olympian, Lo Wai-fung, advanced to the round of 16 in the men’s taekwondo 68 kilogram category at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, where he lost to Tokyo Olympic champion Ulugbek Rashitov of Uzbekistan.

The 21-year-old Lo is the first athlete to represent Hong Kong, China in the event since taekwondo became an official Olympic event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In an interview before the match, he said he carries a sense of duty to fight for the over 100,000 taekwondo enthusiasts in Hong Kong.

On the 13th day of the Paris Olympics, Lo, who stands 1.9 meters tall and ranks 209th in the world, defeated Yahya Al Ghotany from the Refugee Olympic Team by winning two rounds.

Lo dominated the match against Ghotany with a score of 14-0, finishing the first round with a 12-point lead with less than 20 seconds remaining. In the second round, both fighters fiercely battled for the initial 30 seconds, with Lo once again taking a 12-point lead and ultimately winning 16-4.

After a brief rest, Lo faced Rashitov, the top seed in this event. Despite being on the defensive throughout the game, Lo managed to score two points. But in the end he was defeated with scores of 0-12 and 2-9 in two sets.

The event has a repechage round for a spot in the bronze-medal match.

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Lo’s qualification for the Olympics was hard-earned. He initially missed out on the Paris Olympics, but secured a spot as a replacement in May following the disqualification of his semifinal opponent, a representative from the Refugee Olympic Team. He underwent two overseas training sessions to prepare for the Olympics.

After qualifying for the top-level sporting event, Lo said the groundbreaking achievement will showcase to the city and the world that Hong Kong’s taekwondo athletes can also vie for the opportunity to compete in the Olympics.

He added that the backing from Hong Kong’s taekwondo enthusiasts, whether through television viewership or in-person support, serves as a powerful motivator for him.

Lo started learning taekwondo when he was 7. In his eyes, Olympics is the “world’s biggest sports arena”, and he values much of this hard-won opportunity.

Upon arriving in Paris on Saturday, Lo immediately began training after adjusting to the time difference. He familiarized himself with the Grand Palais venue on Tuesday, weighed in on Wednesday, and observed matches to understand the referees’ standards in preparation for his competition.

Among the 35 Hong Kong athletes who secured a spot in the Paris Olympics, half are participating in the event for the first time, as Lo is. Hong Kong’s strength events like swimming, badminton and table tennis still record the highest number of participants. In addition to taekwondo, events with only one Hong Kong participant are rowing, gymnastics, triathlon, judo, and athletics.

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Taekwondo, a Korean martial art and combat sport involving punching and kicking techniques, appeared as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics before becoming an official competition in 2000.