Hong Kong rowing star Lee Ka-man retires with injury, ending stellar career and dreams of final hurrah at Tokyo Olympics
- The 34-year-old is forced to give up on trying to qualify for delayed Tokyo Olympics after battling a recurring injury
- The four-time Asian Games medallist also represented Hong Kong in two Olympics and is hailed as a role model
Three-time Asian Games silver medallist Lee Ka-man announced her retirement on Monday after a stellar career spanning two decades.
The 34-year-old Lee, who represented Hong Kong at the 2008 Beijing and 2016 Rio Olympic Games, has been battling a recurring injury during her final push for qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Games, which have been postponed until next summer. She was Hong Kong’s longest-serving and most successful rower, having represented the city since the age of 14.
“I have decided to retire from my professional career as an athlete for Hong Kong Rowing. This has been a difficult process for myself and I have been struggling with the decision,” Lee wrote in a Facebook post alongside a heartfelt video of her family’s support during her professional career.
“Since my participation in the Asian Games in Busan in [2002], I have enjoyed a career spanning over 18 years, allowing me to partake in many competitions including the Olympics. Afflicted with infirmity through age and injury since the Rio Olympics, I had contemplated on retiring and the thought came to me once again after the [2018] Jakarta Asian Games. I decided to persevere and set my final goal for [Tokyo 2020].
“In March it was unfortunately announced that the Olympic Games of 2020 would be postponed. Despite this, I trained positively and maintained hopes that I would still be able to compete in what would be a fitting conclusion to my career.
