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Paul McNamara

Ceci Lee Sze-wing said she endured an “intense and unhappy” Olympics track cycling debut, following a torrid omnium event for the Hongkonger on Sunday.
Lee finished 20th out of 22 riders at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, before admitting she “didn’t know what I was doing out there”.
The 23-year-old went into the points race, the final event of the four-discipline competition, down in 18th, but failed to contest a single sprint.
“I let down the coach [Herve Dagorne] in each and every race,” she said.
The portents were not good when a passive Lee finished 19th in the opening scratch race. She improved in the tempo race, despite not being in the picture for any intermediate sprints.
In the elimination race, she was the fifth rider dumped out. Jennifer Valente of the United States, champion at the Tokyo Olympics, convincingly retained her title. Silver went to Daria Pikulik of Poland, with Ally Wollaston of New Zealand claiming bronze.
Lee’s result confirmed Hong Kong would finish the Olympics with four medals, two fewer than they won in Tokyo three years ago, but the city’s second-best performance in a Summer Games.

A tearful Lee said: “I am disappointed, I feel sorry for those who helped me.
“I don’t know what I was doing out there. I knew there were four laps to go in the [points] race, still I didn’t charge forward.
“I was placing myself at the back of the group in all events, I was wasting my energy and rode badly, worse than I have previously.”
Lee finished last week’s undulating Olympics road race in 64th. Her effort stoked optimism that she could rid herself of her long-standing self-doubt to race without fear on the track, where she had targeted a top-half finish.
But Lee was ultimately overcome by “the atmosphere and the fact that I could see the strongest riders here”.
“All the other riders are more aggressive, they keep attacking on the track,” Lee added. “I need to work harder in the future, there was some difference [in performance] from my expectation.

“This is a fast track, [the performance] is my own problem. I shall remember how tough it was at today’s race, the intensity and the unhappiness, so I can work harder in the future, and challenge the top.
“There is happiness and sadness from this Olympics. I was happy I could finish the road race, but there’s quite some distance from my second target [top-half omnium placing].”
The Hong Kong cycling team staged a pre-Olympics training camp in Brittany, and between the road and track races Lee transferred to Roubaix for a mini- camp.
Lee accepted, however, that none of her preparation translated into what she delivered under the Olympic spotlight.
“Coach tried hard to encourage me and give me confidence [between races], he said to me the next could be better, but I let him down in each and every race,” Lee said.
“Yumi [Kajihara, Japanese who finished 17th] didn’t do well in the first three events, but she lapped some riders in the points race.
“That was my plan, too, and I tried to do it midway through, but I couldn’t. After the first race, I told myself to forget the results and try to get better rankings for upcoming races.
“But in the elimination, which is a better event for me, I still performed badly. I was always at the back, and don’t know what I was doing.
“It’s my worst elimination performance this year, I couldn’t do anything that I could in training. Whatever the coach told me beforehand, I just couldn’t do it.”
“This is a great opportunity to take a better look of myself, everybody else could [ride aggressively], so I believed I could, too.”


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Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Paris Olympics: tears for Hong Kong cyclist Ceci Lee – ‘I don’t know what I was doing’

Ceci Lee competing in the Olympic omnium. Photo: SF&OC

Ceci Lee delivered a passive performance in Paris. Photo: SF&OC

The Hongkonger hangs back in the bunch. Photo: SF&OC

Paris Olympics: Hongkonger in action, China v US for No 1 – 5 things to know for day 16

Cyclist Ceci Lee Sze-wing, the last Hongkonger standing at the Paris Olympics, takes part in the women’s omnium on day 16. Photo: Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong’s Ceci Lee is hoping for a top-12 finish in her second race of the Paris Olympic Games. Photo: Xinhua

Olympic and two-time world champion Li Wenwen is looking to earn another gold for China. Photo: Xinhua

The United States women are looking for their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal. Photo: Reuters

Tom Cruise (centre) is rumoured to be making an appearance at the Paris Olympics closing ceremony. Photo: DPA

Paris Olympics: China’s women hail strong bond after team table tennis gold

The China team and their coach wave to supporters after winning the women’s team table tennis gold. Photo: Reuters

Chen Meng (right) and Wang Manyu celebrate winning a point against Hayata Hina and Harimoto Miwa. Photo: Xinhua

Fans celebrate in the stands after China beat Japan to win women’s team table tennis gold. Photo: Reuters

Paris Olympics: Hong Kong cyclist Ceci Lee ready for ‘challenge of her life’ at velodrome

Ceci Lee will compete in the Olympic omnium on Sunday after finishing 64th in last week’s road race. Photo: Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China.

Lee will have a new coach following the Games. Photo: Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China.

Hong Kong’s Lee (far left) is making her Olympic track cycling debut in the French capital. Photo: UCI.

Paris Olympics: diving champion Cao Yuan backs China to fend off US in medal scrap

Cao Yuan in action in diving’s men’s 10m platform final. Photo: Reuters

Noah Williams (right) expected China to sustain their global diving dominance. Photo: Xinhua. 

Cao’s gold was his fourth in four Olympics and completed a perfect Games for China divers. Photo: Xinhua

Sport

Paris Olympics 2024

Hong Kong

Lee emotional after ‘letting down coach in each and every race’, is frustrated by inability to transfer training form to Olympic track


Lee emotional after ‘letting down coach in each and every race’, is frustrated by inability to transfer training form to Olympic track.


Hong Kong Sports Institute