Hong Kong athletes have won 17 medals – including eight golds – at the National Games so far, marking a record-breaking haul following more wins in cycling and swimming.
Swimmer Siobhan Haughey won two bronze medals in the 50-metre freestyle and 50-metre breaststroke events on Monday, bringing her medal count at the Games to four.
She had already bagged two gold medals earlier in the competition in Shenzhen, first in the 200-metre freestyle on Thursday and another in the 100-metre freestyle on Saturday.
Cyclist Ceci Lee secured her third gold medal in the omnium at the Hong Kong Velodrome. She had previously won two golds in road cycling and the madison track cycling event.
As of Monday night, the Hong Kong team has 17 medals under its belt – the highest since the city began taking part in the National Games after the 1997 Handover.
The tally comprises eight golds, two silvers, and seven bronzes in sailing, cycling, tennis, swimming, rugby, triathlon, and fencing.
In past National Games, the city won at most two gold medals.
Hong Kong’s previous National Games record was 16 medals in 2017. That year, it won two golds, seven silvers and seven bronzes in cycling, equestrian, fencing, karate, and swimming.
Held every four years, the National Games are China’s top-level sports event, attracting athletes from across China’s provinces, Hong Kong and Macau.
This year’s National Games, featuring 34 sports, mark the first time that Hong Kong and Macau are co-hosting the event.
The city is hosting competitions for eight sports, including men’s basketball, track cycling, fencing, and rugby sevens.
Most of the events in Hong Kong have concluded, except men’s basketball, which is held at the Hong Kong Coliseum, and fencing, at the Kai Tak Sports Park.
On Tuesday, Hong Kong will face Fujian in men’s basketball, while team fencing events will begin.
The city has already won three medals in individual fencing events. Aaron Ho won silver in the men’s sabre, while Kaylin Hsieh and Cheung Ka-long won bronze in the women’s épée and men’s foil, respectively.
The closing ceremony for the National Games will take place on Friday.
