Wushu athlete Lydia Sham Hui-yu snatched the first gold medal of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Monday morning, winning the women’s Changquan final.
Sham, who was also one of the three SAR flag bearers at the games’ opening ceremony, was crowned champion with 9.713 points, beating Macao’s Sou Cho-man with 9.71 points and Indonesia’s Eugenia Diva Widodo with 9.706 points.
Sham will earn HK$1 million ($127,466) under the Jockey Club Athletes Incentive Awards Scheme; fellow Hong Kong athlete Michelle Yeung finished fifth on her Asian Games debut.
Speaking after the competition, Sham said she was very grateful to the SAR government, her coach, and her supporters. Sham said she had prepared for eight years for just 90 seconds on the field, even if a simple movement required years of training.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui extended her congratulations to Sham, saying she “excelled brilliantly in the competitions, showing absolute focus and superb skills” to secure the first gold medal for the SAR, filling Hong Kong residents with pride.
On Sunday, Hong Kong’s karate athlete Grace Lau Mo-sheung won the city’s first medal, taking silver in the Women’s Individual Kata event.
Law also congratulated her on Sunday, as well as swimmers Siobhan Haughey, Natalie Kan, Li Sum-yiu, Gilaine Ma and Wang Xintong on winning a silver medal in Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay.
“Lau’s outstanding performance in surpassing her bronze-medal finishes in the previous two Asian Games to win the silver medal is truly encouraging,” Law said.
“I am also delighted that the team, comprising Haughey, Kan, Li, Ma and Wang, worked together to win silver l with a new Hong Kong record. I wish the Hong Kong, China Delegation success in the coming competitions.”
The Hong Kong delegation numbers about 580 athletes who will compete in 38 events at the 20th Asian Games running from Saturday to Oct 4. Many of them are expected to win medals, including racing cyclist Ceci Lee Sze-wing and fencing stars Cheung Ka-long and Ryan Choi.
Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com
