Hong Kong’s performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games is a historical one. Since 1952, the city has competed in the Summer Olympics seventeen times. Hong Kong had won one gold, one silver and one bronze medal in past games, in 1996, 2004 and 2012 respectively. This time, however, Hong Kong snatched one gold, two silvers and three bronze medals in a single Olympics. Their appearance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games is Hong Kong's most successful performance to date, with more medals than in any prior year.
Cheung Ka-Long
Cheung Ka-Long, known as the “Fencing God” of Hong Kong, was crowned an Olympic gold medalist after defeating Italian fencer Daniele Garozzo in the men's foil individual final held on July 26. The 24-year-old broke records by winning Hong Kong’s first Olympic gold medal in fencing and the city’s second-ever gold.
The athlete has won several international titles since he took up fencing in fourth grade. He was named Hong Kong's Most Promising Young Athlete at the Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards in 2013 and Outstanding Junior Athlete in 2014. At the Asian Fencing Championships in 2019, he was awarded silver in individual foil and bronze in team foil.
After Cheung’s gold in the Tokyo Olympics, the term "Ka-long impact" was coined to celebrate this historic victory.
Siobhan Bernadette Haughey
Siobhan Haughey, a 23-year-old Irish-Hongkonger, recently made Hong Kong history by being the first athlete to win two medals at a single Olympics, attaining a silver medal in both the women’s 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle, with times of 52.27 seconds and 1:53.92 respectively, setting new Asian records. She is also the first Hong Kong individual to win a medal in swimming.
“I knew I wanted to make the final at this meet and I feel like I always was so close to making the podium. To now finally be able to win a medal means so much.”
Haughey trains with the University of Michigan, being named Swimming of the Championships at the Big Ten Conference championships in 2016. She has won three bronze medals at the Asian Games, two silver medals at the Youth Olympics, two gold medals at the Universiade and a gold and a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships.
Doo Hoi-kem, Lee Ho-ching and Minnie Soo Wai-yam
Doo Hoi-kem, Lee Ho-ching, and Minnie Soo Wai-yam, Hong Kong women's table tennis team members have won the city's first-ever bronze medal in the event, defeating German paddlers Shan Xiaona, Petrissa Solja, and Han Ying. Germany took the lead after Shan and Solja defeated Hong Kong's Lee and Doo in the opening doubles match. However, Hong Kong's Soo and Doo claimed bronze with a 3-1 victory after winning all three singles matches. "I still couldn't believe what had happened today," said Soo, speaking about her Olympic debut. "this is definitely the best day of my life," the athlete added.
24-year-old Doo Hoi-Kem was a Hong Kong women's team member since the 2014 World Team Championships and earned two medals at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics. Teammate Lee Ho-Ching was awarded three bronze medals for the 2012 Dortmund World Championships, the 2014 Tokyo World Championships, and the 2018 Halmstad World Championships. Soo Wai-Yam won bronze at both the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and the 2018 Halmstad World Championships.
Grace Lau Mo-Sheung
Grace Lau, a 29-year-old karateka from Hong Kong, holds the title of the first Hong Kong athlete to win an Olympic medal in karate after winning bronze at the women’s kata event in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She was awarded bronze after defeating the Turkish karateka Dilara Bozan with a score of 26.94. The athlete began practicing karate at the age of 11 and began competing internationally at the age of 16. At the age of 20, she made her international debut, finishing fifth at the World Junior and Cadet Championships. In 2015, Lau won silver at the Asian Championships in Japan, followed by her first Premier League gold later that month. She won her first World Cup gold medal in 2016 and has been a medal contender ever since.
‘I hope that my results show Hongkongers that even though we are a small city, we can do well in the sport,’ remarked Lau after the match. “The Olympic Games are athletes’ highest and largest platform, it’s already incredible that I can participate in it,” she added.
Lee Wai-Sze
Lee Wai-Sze, a veteran track cyclist representing Hong Kong, won the last Olympic medal for the territory at the 2020 Olympic Games. Lee had previously won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games in the women’s keirin event, the third Olympic medal ever won by Hong Kong. Her third-place finish in the women’s sprint at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games deemed her as the first Hong Kong athlete to obtain a medal from two separate Olympic Games.
After breaking the Asian Record in the 500-meter time trial in cycling at the 2010 Asian Games, Lee was awarded the Medal of Honour from the Hong Kong Government. Lee has had an incredible cycling career, winning three gold, two silver and three bronze medals at the World Championships, five golds, one silver and one bronze at the Asian Games, and 19 golds, five silvers and ten bronze medals at the Asian Championships.
Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet
Badminton players Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet became the first Hong Kong mixed doubles team to ever compete in the badminton semifinals at the Olympics. They lost by two points to Japanese players Arisa Higashino and Yuta Watanabe, with the game ending 2-0 at the Musashino Forest Sports Park Plaza, in what Tse said would be her final Olympics match. “We had the chances,” Tang said. “I would say we have performed at 80 or 85 per cent but not 100 percent, there’s a bit of regret, we were not good enough.”
The bronze-medal contest, along with Siobhan Haughey's race in the women's 100m freestyle final the day before, brought many of the city's malls to a halt. “I’m very happy that so many people gathered around to support Hong Kong athletes and they give us so much motivation,” Tse told reporters, reacting to the ongoing support they received from Hongkongers.
Sunisa Lee
Sunisa Lee, 18, made history as she attained the women’s artistic gymnastics individual all-around gold medal. After Simone Biles’ withdrawal from the competition, all eyes were on Lee to take the gold for the USA. Not only did she achieve the highest score of the night - a 15.300 on the uneven bars, she also became the first Asian woman to achieve the title. Lee continued the USA’s gold medal-winning streak at the Olympic Games as the fifth consecutive woman to win the all-around event following Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin, Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles. Sunisa also won a silver medal with the team and bronze on the uneven bars.
"It’s crazy. It doesn’t feel like real life at all."
Lee first became a junior elite athlete in 2016 at the age of 13, making the junior national team in 2017. In 2019, she achieved second place in the all-around at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, and first on the uneven bars. Lee placed second in the all-around at the U.S. World Championships Trials. At the 2019 World Championships, she won gold with the team, silver on floor exercise and bronze on uneven bars. Shecame second in the all-around and first on uneven bars at both the 2021 U.S. Gymnastics Championships and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, with her all-around score on day 2 overtaking Biles’, the first time Biles had been defeated since 2013.
Kuo Hsing-Chun
Kuo Hsing-Chun, a 27-year-old female weightlifter representing Chinese Taipei, made headlines following her victory at the women's 59kg Weightlifting event at the 2020 Olympic games. Kuo shattered past Olympic records as she successfully lifted 103 kg in snatch and 133 kg in clean-and-jerk, winning Taiwan’s first gold in the 2020 games. Kuo has been a force to be reckoned with since her victory at the 2013 World Weightlifting Championships, securing a gold medal over Ecuadorian lifter Alexandra Escobar.
According to Kuo, she has had “ups and downs” since she finished sixth at the London 2012 Olympic games. “I'm really grateful for all those people who've been with me," remarked the athlete. “I am very happy that I put all the pieces together now, adding in the Olympic gold medal today.”
Momiji Nishiya
Momiji Nishiya is a 13-year-old Japanese female skateboarder who won the gold medal for women’s street skateboarding at the 2020 Olympic Games. Her achievement comes the first year the event was held in the Olympic Games. She almost broke the record of the youngest female to win a gold medal at the Olympics, being just 63 days older than Marjorie Gestring, another 13-year-old who medalled in the 1936 Olympics. Nishiya is the youngest ever medallist in Japan.
"I welled up in tears because I was beyond happy,” says the young athlete.
Nishiya had previously won the silver medal in the 2021 World Championships in Rome and a silver medal in the 2019 X Games.
Sources:
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Hong Kong’s Haughey creates history with silver in 200m freestyle. (2021). Retrieved 30 July 2021, from https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3142798/tokyo-olympics-siobhan-haughey-creates-history-silver-medal-200m
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Who is Hong kong's Olympic karate Contender Grace Lau? Retrieved August 5, 2021, from: https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3143615/tokyo-olympics-grace-lau-mo-sheung-trailblazing-karateka-set
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Writers: Joyce Liang & Kate Chan
Editor: Kristen Wong
Thumbnail: Joyce Liang
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