Heading the challenge will be track cycling star Sarah Lee Wai-sze, who will start in the keirin quarter-finals, while karate exponent Grace Lau Mo-sheung is also trying to grab one of the four medals on offer in the women’s kata which features 10 participants. The women’s table tennis team will need to defy the odds against Germany in the bronze medal match after losing to the same opponents in the quarter-finals at the Rio Games five years ago.
The five athletes will be attempting to add to the historic gold won by fencer Cheung Ka-long in the foil and the two silver medals in the pool by Siobhan Haughey.
Tokyo Olympics: Lee through to quarter-finals – day 12, as it happened
“This will put icing on the cake if we succeed again after last week’s brilliant results,” chef de mission Pui Kwan-kay said from Tokyo. “We have three events [on Thursday] which all have the potential of winning a medal. There will be a lot of excitement in Hong Kong and I’m also sure the athletes will give their best to get what they want.
“Hong Kong’s athletes have shown a strong fighting spirit in Tokyo so far which has not only impressed the entire delegation but also a lot of people back home. I wish all of them good luck tomorrow.”
Those three medals in five days equalled the number of Olympic medals Hong Kong had won in six previous Olympics over 20 years.
Windsurfer Lee Lai-shan lifted the first gold for Hong Kong at the 1996 Atlanta Games, while Li Ching, now the women’s table tennis team coach, and his partner Ko Lai-chak clinched a silver in the doubles at the 2004 Athens Games. This was followed by cyclist Lee’s bronze in the keirin in the London Games eight years later.
04:09
History-making Chinese athlete fulfils grandmother’s Olympic dream
History-making Chinese athlete fulfils grandmother’s Olympic dream
The 34-year-old Lee was in confident mood when leaving Hong Kong for Tokyo last week, but her opening race in the keirin was far from convincing when she could manage only third in her heat, and had to go to a repechage to qualify. That she did, with a trademark dazzling burst of speed in the final lap to finish first.
The 2012 London bronze medallist in the keirin will start in the quarter-finals at the Izu Velodrome on Thursday afternoon, and is expected to reach the semi-finals and hopefully challenge for a medal in the final later in the day. Failing that, the 34-year-old Lee also has the sprint event at the weekend, where she is now better suited.
Lee’s Olympic medal chances to become clearer after quarter-final
Coach Shen Jinkang praised Lee despite the fact that his charge did not make it straight to the quarter-finals.
“Lee performed very well today. It’s normal [to lose the heat] in the first race of keirin. Many other top riders also went through the repechages today to go reach the next round. She did very well in the repechage. She’s brave enough and showed strong ability. Believe in her, her form is very good,” he said.
In karate, individual kata competitor Lau will start in one of two pools where the top three athletes of each will qualify for the ranking round. The top finisher of each ranking round will then meet in the final, while the remaining four will compete in two bronze medal matches.
In table tennis, Hong Kong No 1 Doo Hoi-kem said they might have to change the line-up against Germany that boasts two former Chinese players, including “chopper” Han Ying, whose defensive style of play has proved a headache for Hong Kong in the past. Doo was the only player that took one match from Germany when they lost 3-1 in Rio.
“We will have to adjust our mental and physical state,” Doo said after losing the semi-final 3-0 to Japan. “We’ll put the match behind us and play more aggressively against Germany.”
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Medal hopes aim for ‘icing on the cake’ at Games
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