Hong Kong karate athlete Grace Lau Mo-sheung on Sunday won a silver in the women’s individual kata event — the first medal for the city at the 2026 Asian Games being held in Japan’s Aichi-Nagoya.

Lau, who currently holds world No 1 spot, lost the championship to her long-time rival, Japan’s Ono Maho, who currently holds the No 2 spot globally.

It was the third time for Lau competing in the Asian Games, having clinched bronze medals in the previous two tournaments.

Later on Sunday, the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team won another silver medal and rewrote the city’s record books.

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The quartet of Gilaine Ma, Laura Wang Xintong, Li Sum-yiu, and Natalie Kan Cheuk-tung delivered a seamless performance during the morning heats, clocking a time of 3:45.39 to advance to the final as the fourth-fastest qualifiers.

For the decisive race, Olympic swimmer Siobhan Haughey joined the team, contributing a strong second-leg effort. Together, the group clocked an impressive 3:36.59 in the final, shattering Hong Kong’s previous Asian Games record of 3:39.1.

This achievement marked Hong Kong’s second medal at the Games.

The Hong Kong delegation has about 580 athletes who will compete in 38 events at the 20th Asian Games running from Saturday to Oct 4, with many of them expected to win medals, including racing cyclist Ceci Lee Sze-wing and fencing stars like Cheung Ka-long and Ryan Choi.

The delegation won a total of 53 medals, including eight golds, at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in 2023.