Olympic heroine Sarah Lee says Asian Games 2022 still a possibility as she shows no signs of slowing up
- The 34-year-old Lee has not committed to her next event but considers team sprint the best option at Hangzhou Asiad
- Cycling team moves on to Shaanxi to continue search for medals in road racing
Track cycling star Sarah Lee Wai-sze would not rule out participating in next year’s Asian Games, although she is still pondering her future after returning home from a successful two-month overseas campaign, which included medal wins at the Tokyo Olympic and the National Games.
The 34-year-old, who completed her third Olympics in Tokyo and fourth National Games in Luoyang, refused to give a definite answer on her plans.
“I won’t set my sights on any multi-sport games, but if I decide to take part in the 2022 Asian Games, I will only join the team sprint as one of the three members and not the two individual events,” said Lee, arguably Hong Kong’s greatest athlete of her generation. “I will not commit to anything. All I want to do is take a rest after the lengthy journey and go back to university to continue my studies.
“Indeed, if the sport wants to maintain a healthy and sustainable development, we should give the opportunity to other upcoming riders so that they can come through the ranks one day and take up the baton. I don’t want people to always put the focus on me as I can always serve the sport, but maybe in different capacities. My existing scholarship with the Sports Institute will not end until March and it’s possible I will have a better picture of my future by then.”
One thing for certain is that Lee will not take part in next month’s World Championships in Roubaix, France, set for late October, despite being the only one of Hong Kong’s cyclists to achieve qualification.
“The sprinting events will be represented by my two teammates in the team sprint, as they can use my qualification spots,” said Lee, who claimed a bronze medal in Japan before adding a gold and a bronze in China.
