Hong Kong karate athlete Grace Lau Mo-sheung on Sunday won a silver in the karate women’s individual kata event -- the first medal for the city at the 2026 Asian Games being held in Japan’s Aichi-Nagoya.

Lau, who currently holds world No 1 spot, lost the championship to her long-time rival, Japan’s Ono Maho, who is the world’s No 2 kata athlete.

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It was the third time for Lau to contest in the Asian Games, having clinched bronze medals in the previous two tournaments.

The Hong Kong delegation has about 580 athletes who’ll compete in 38 events at the 20th Asian Games running from Sept 19 to Oct 4, with many sports stars set to bag medals, including racing cyclist Ceci Lee Sze-wing and fencing stars like Cheung Ka-long and Ryan Choi.

The delegation won a total of 50 medals, including eight golds, at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in 2023.