- City shined at the Tokyo Games, winning six medals, and first-time competitors like cyclist Ceci Lee and swimmer Cindy Cheung hope to bring home more
Cyclist Ceci Lee Sze-wing will make her Olympic debut this year. Photo: Dickson LeeHong Kong athletes shined at the 2021 Tokyo Games, clinching a historic record of six medals, most notably the city’s second gold medal from foil fencer Cheung Ka-long. So, it’s no surprise that the Paris Olympics will be even more exciting for Hongkongers. After three years of anticipation, the city has officially sent the 35-strong delegation to Paris, with some new faces competing in the Games. Check out these Hong Kong athletes making their debut at this year’s Olympics.
Cindy Cheung Sum-yuet, Swimming
Swimming prodigy Cindy Cheung Sum-yuet is Hong Kong’s youngest swimmer to have made the A-cut in women’s 200m backstroke, clocking in at 2:10.35 at the age of 16. The teenage star, who will turn 18 at the Games, will compete in the Women’s 100m and 200m backstroke. Cheung is the city’s only other female athlete, alongside Tokyo silver medallist Siobhan Haughey, to qualify for an individual swimming event.
Jason Ng Tai-long, Triathlon
Jason Ng will be keeping the flame alive for Hong Kong triathletes at the Games, becoming the second triathlete after Tokyo Olympian Oscar Coggins to achieve this feat. Ng secured his spot at the French Capital when he beat his Kazakh rival, ending their Olympic qualification battle. The race proved extra difficult, with ice and cold water during the swimming portion. The 24-year-old will compete in the men’s individual event, consisting of a 1.5km swim, a 40km cycle, and a 10k run. Ng is currently ranked 41 in the world.
Ceci Lee Sze-wing, Cycling
Known as the “little queen of cycling”, cyclist Ceci Lee Sze-wing aims to follow in the footsteps – or rather, wheels – of Hong Kong cycling legend and two-time bronze-medallist Sarah Lee Wai-sze. Riding high from her success in the Asian Games and National Games, the 23-year-old will compete in the 158km road race on August 4 on top of her omnium event.
The star cyclist will compete in a suit designed to reduce drag by around 3 per cent, which professors at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have described as “the best in the world.”
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Akira Sakai and Russell Aylsworth, Sailing
After narrowly missing out on the 2021 Tokyo Games, sailor duo Akira Sakai and Russell Aylsworth will head to the Olympics, the first for Hong Kong in the men’s sailing 49er event. The duo’s partnership began in 2018, and they won bronze in the Asian Games last year before qualifying for Paris at the 55th French Olympic Week Last Chance Regatta.
Wong Ka-lee, Judo
Wong Ka-lee’s impressive achievement makes her Hong Kong’s first judoka at the Olympics since London 2012, when the city sent judoka Cheung Chi-yip to compete in the men’s under-73-kilogram division of the event. Wong is ranked 57th in the world, qualifying via the continental quota route. The 26-year-old athlete aims to reach the Paris quarter-finals in the women’s under-48kg category for this event.