Medal ambition in four to five events
22/7/2008 17:24
Hong Kong's medal ambition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games lies in
several marginal events and some that China has dominated for a long time.
As
part of Hong Kong's 34-member delegation to the August 8-24 Games in Beijing,
women's badminton star Wang Chen is hoping to claim the first gold medal for
Hong Kong since 1996.
Female windsurfer Lee Lai-shan clinched the first-ever
and the only Olympic gold for Hong Kong so far at the 1996 Atlanta
Olympics.
Wang Chen advanced to the top four of the women's singles at the
2004 Athens Olympics, but was beaten by Zhang Ning of China in the
semifinal.
Wang maintained a good form in recent years as she clinched the
gold medal at the 2006 Doha Asiad and a silver medal at the 2007 world
championships.
She will launch a strong challenge to China Team which
includes world No. 1 Xie Xingfang and Olympic defending champion Zhang
Ning.
"This will be my last Olympics. I wish I could finish my badminton
career with an Olympic medal," said Wang who recovered from a finger strain
recently.
Besides badminton, Hong Kong's athletes will compete in 11 sports
at Beijing, and the best medal prospects are expected to be in the table tennis,
sailing, cycling and triathlon.
Lee Lai-shan, whose victory at the Atlanta
Olympics helped add a glorious chapter to the region's 44-year Olympic history,
predicts a haul of four or five medals at Beijing.
"Hong Kong is going to
host the equestrian events of the Beijing Games, and I think the Hong Kong
athletes could strive for medals in four or five events," Lee said.
"We have
good players in four or five events and they all have the chance to stand on the
podium. I think Hong Kong will harvest more medals at the Beijing Olympics," she
added.
Table tennis duo Li Jing/Gao Lize is another medal hope for Hong Kong
in the Games. They claimed the silver medal in the men's doubles for Hong Kong
at the Athens Olympics, and that was the only Olympic medal for Hong Kong since
1996.
The two paddlers, who also won the Doha Asiad men's doubles gold, will
take part in the men's singles and the men's team event in Beijing.
"It is a
pity that there is no men's doubles event in Beijing, so we have to make some
changes," said Li. "We hope we could enter the final four of the men's
team."
Two-time Asian champion Wong Kam-po will spearhead the Hong Kong
cycling team, and is aiming at an Olympic gold to complete his collection of
cycling trophies.
The 35-year-old Wong, an elite in road race, was crowned in
the Doha Asiad, the Asian championships and the 2007 world championships.
However, he turned to men's track events before the Beijing Olympics after a
long discussion with his coach Shen Jinkang.
"You have only one opponent in
track events, so it is a little bit easier than in the road events," explained
Shen. "Wong will perfectly suit for the Games."
The Hong Kong delegation also
includes sailor Chan King-yin, who finished first in the men's Mistral light
class at the 2006 Asian Games.
Xinhua
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