For the past week, it’s been all eyes on the 15th National Games, taking place from November 9 to 21 in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau. Elite athletes from across various Chinese provinces, municipalities, and special administrative regions have gathered for this respected sporting competition, hoping to achieve top honours.
With competition events for 34 sports and mass participation events for 23 sports, there’s plenty to follow and watch over the course of the 15th National Games. Hong Kong is hosting the competitions for basketball (men’s U22), track cycling, fencing, golf, handball (men), rugby sevens, triathlon, beach volleyball, and bowling. As of publication, Hong Kong athletes have secured a total of 17 podium finishes, resulting in eight gold medals, two silver medals, and seven bronze medals, in events such as cycling, tennis, sailing, swimming, rugby, triathlon, and fencing. Read on to find out who the winners are, which competitions they have excelled in, and which medals they have secured for the city.
Hong Kong gold medals
Sailing
In Guangdong, Nicholas Bezy Halliday won gold in men’s ILCA 7 with a total score of 33 points, marking the first gold medal for Hong Kong in the 15th National Games.
Cycling
Ceci Lee Sze-wing has not been slacking off during the 15th National Games – the cyclist made history at the Hong Kong Velodrome when she won her third individual gold medal at one National Games. Now that’s a record that will be tough for any ambitious Hong Kong athlete to surpass! With a gold in women’s road cycling individual, a gold in the madison event, and a gold in the omnium event, Lee is firmly at the top of her game.
Chloe Leung Wing-yee was Lee’s teammate in the madison event – together, they secured the gold for Hong Kong and contributed to an impressive medal tally.
Swimming
Ian Ho Yentou set a new standard when he snagged the first-ever gold medal for Hong Kong’s men’s swimming in the men’s 50-metre freestyle competition, achieving a record time of 21.71 seconds ahead of Liaoning’s Chen Hao, Fujian’s Liu Wudi, and Zhejiang’s Pan Zhanle – China’s Olympic darling at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Golden child Siobhan Haughey walked, nay, swam off with gold in women’s 100-metre freestyle and gold in the women’s 200-metre freestyle – all on par for this remarkable swimmer who continues to collect shiny hardware for Hongkongers to be proud of.
Rugby
Hong Kong won its first-ever gold medal for rugby sevens at the 15th National Games, beating out Shandong with a final score of 26-19. It was a nail-biting contest – Shandong pulled ahead in the second half, but Hong Kong ultimately secured the win, marking Hong Kong’s men’s rugby sevens’ sensational return to the National Games after a long hiatus.
Hong Kong silver medals
Fencing
Aaron Ho Sze-long competed in the men’s individual sabre event at Kai Tak Arena and came second on the podium, giving Hong Kong its best-ever finish for fencers at the National Games and securing Hong Kong’s very first sabre medal.
Triathlon
Hong Kong claimed the silver medal in the mixed relay event, finishing the 0.3-km swim, 6.6-km cycle ride, and 1.8-km run with a time of one hour, 24 minutes, and 16 seconds. Triathletes Cade Wright, Bailee Brown, Oscar Coggins, and Robin Elg were neck-to-neck with the Shandong team, who snapped up first place by 11 seconds.
Hong Kong bronze medals
Swimming
Siobhan Haughey’s been on a roll. In addition to her gold medals, she also snapped up two bronzes in swimming at this year’s National Games – one for the 50-m breaststroke with a time of 30.71 seconds, and another for the 50-m freestyle with a time of 24.84 seconds. She shares her second bronze medal with Zhejiang’s Lü Yue, who finished at the same time.
Adam Mak Sai-ting achieved bronze in the men’s 200-m breaststroke, handily setting a new city record and achieving Hong Kong’s first-ever medal in men’s swimming. He touched the wall after Qin Haiyang of Shanghai (gold) and Dong Zhihao of Jiangsu (silver).
Fencing
Olympic sensation and World No. 13 Edgar Cheung Ka-long missed out on a higher podium finish after a loss to Fujian’s Xu Jie claimed bronze in the men’s individual foil event, achieving victory with a 15-2 score against Zeng Zhaoran.
Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan participated in the women’s individual épée and achieved bronze, securing the win against Guangdong’s Mo Wanlin with a final score of 15-9.
Tennis
Hong Kong’s youth men’s tennis team claimed the city’s inaugural medal for the sport at the 15th National Games, securing the podium finish for bronze after a loss to Jiangsu.
Triathlon
Oscar Coggins took home a bronze medal in the men’s individual race for the triathlon segment, battling against Henan’s Fan Junjie (gold) and Liaoning’s Chen Qing (silver) to finish with a final time of one hour, 49 minutes, and 21 seconds.
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