Tokyo, Japan, August 8, 2021: Hong Kong China finished with a flourish at the Olympic Games on Sunday with a second Olympic medal for track cyclist Sarah Lee Wai Sze, this time in women’s sprint.
The much-decorated Hong Kong hero won a race-off with Germany’s Emma Hinze to claim bronze on the last morning of competition at Izu Velodrome.
The time difference was 0.964 seconds in the first race and 0.233 seconds in the second race to give Lee the bronze medal.
Kelsey Mitchell of Canada won gold ahead of Olena Starikova of Ukraine in second place for silver.
The women’s sprint bronze medal added to the rich track cycling legacy of the 34-year-old Lee, who won a bronze in women’s keirin at London 2012 and claimed a sprint/keirin double at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia three years ago.
In the Tokyo Olympics she finished eighth in women’s keirin and seized her last chance of a medal by winning bronze in the sprint on the last morning of the Games.
She put her success down to learning how to “let go” and not holding anything back.
She also thanked her crew and teammates for giving her a lot of confidence and for being by her side during difficult times. “I have learned how to take care of myself during the Games; in the past I have been busy with many other things,” she said.
Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam congratulated Lee in a press release on Sunday: “Lee Wai-sze is the first Hong Kong athlete who has won medals at two Olympic Games.
“She has demonstrated that her competence and determination have passed the test of time, and she has become a Hong Kong legend with her brilliant results. All Hong Kong people are overjoyed at her achievements.”
She also received congratulations from Hong Kong Baptist University where she is a student.
It was Hong Kong China’s sixth medal of Tokyo 2020 - one gold in fencing, two silvers in swimming and three bronze medals in table tennis, karate kata and now track cycling.