Hong Kong’s rising stars set sights on National Games success: Pursuing dual excellence in sports and education

With less than a month until the 15th National Games in November 2025, local athletes are in their final prepara-tions as they are inspired by the remark-able achievements of Olympic fencing gold medalists Edgar Cheung Ka-long and Vivian Kong Man-wai. 

The team boasts a talented lineup of young stars, including table tennis play-er Pedrey Ng Wing-lam, fencer Summer Sit Fay, and sprinters Chan Yat-lok and Alton Kwok Chun-ting, who are bal-ancing rigorous training with academic pursuits.

These athletes aim to secure medals, elevate Hong Kong’s sporting reputa-tion, and demonstrate that academic and athletic excellence can go hand in hand.

The Hong Kong athletics team has been actively preparing, as sprinters Chan Yat-lok and Alton Kwok Chun-ting travel with teammates to Japan this week to train and attend competitions, showing high determination.

Trained by former Hong Kong sprinter Ho Kwan-lung, they led their 4x100-meter relay team to a Hong Kong youth record of 39.67 seconds last year.

In individual events, Chan won a sil-ver medal in the 100 meters at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships, clocking a personal best of 10.38 seconds in the semi-finals, matching the Hong Kong U20 record.

Kwok, meanwhile, set a new Hong Kong U20 record of 10.37 seconds, improving the mark by 0.01 seconds, at a local series race in April.

For the upcoming National Games, Chan and Kwok are eager to compete against top sprinters from the mainland. Chan recalls racing alongside athletes who completed the 100 meters in under nine seconds at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing in February, describing the experience of observing their techniques and warm-ups as invaluable. 

He looks forward to meeting Guangxi team member Deng Xinrui and witnessing sprinting legend Su Bingtian’s final race. 

Kwok, motivated by a personal rivalry, aims to defeat Guangxi’s Zeng Keli, having lost to him in three out of four previous races and is determined to win this time.

Chan hopes the Hong Kong relay team can reach the finals and poten-tially break the city’s record, while Kwok encourages his team-mates to stay humble in victory and resilient in defeat, urging them to keep pushing forward with determination.

Education and athlet-ics: a balancing act

Chan began athletics training at nine and became a full-time athlete at 16, gaining admission to the Chinese University of Hong Kong through the Student-athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme, where he studies Physical Education, Exercise Science and Health.

He enjoys studying alongside teammates, particularly challeng-ing subjects like human anatomy, appreciating the support of peers studying physiotherapy who help him review during training ses-sions. 

Kwok enrolled in the University of Hong Kong’s Business Administration program in September, becoming the junior of sprinter Magnus Prostur Johannsson, who guided him on course selection and time management. 

Both athletes express gratitude for the Hong Kong Sports Institute’s (HKSI) comprehensive support, with Chan noting that immediate access to physiotherapy for injuries like foot pain allows them to focus on training without concern, as the institute’s services surpass typical external support.

Support of the city

The government supports athletes through the Elite Athletes Development Fund and promotes the pursuit of dual career development in both sports and education. The HKSI has established memoranda of understanding with various tertiary institutions to facilitate flexible arrangements for athlete applicants. Furthermore, it is understood that the HKSI has formulated com-prehensive long-term development plans for athletes. Newly recruited athletes receive clearly defined train-ing pathways and a range of competi-tive opportunities, enabling them to gradually accumulate experience, refine their skills, and engage in challenges on the international stage.

As for Pedrey Ng -- a 21-year-old table tennis prodigy -- she has recently won bronze in women’s singles and team events at the 2025 Summer World University Games in July, fueling her ambition to become Hong Kong’s top female player. 

She began playing at six, joined the city’s youth team at 10, and earned international accolades by 14, including med-als in Thailand and Asian youth competitions.

In recent years, her doubles partnerships with Zhu Chengzhu and Yiu Kwan-to have yielded consistent success, and her selection as a reserve for the Paris 2024 Olympics marked a career milestone.

Last year, she competed alongside world number one Sun Yingsha in the China Table Tennis Super League -- China’s elite table tennis league -- gaining invaluable experience from high-stakes matches.

Currently, Ng holds impressive world rankings of 19th in women’s doubles, 35th in mixed doubles, and 109th in women’s singles in table tennis.

Ng is also an excellent student outside the sports field. She is one of the top scorers in the 2021 International Baccalaureate exams and is now studying Quantitative Finance at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, striving to inspire others by proving that athletes can excel academically.

As for the upcoming National Games, Ng aims to learn from Chinese top players and chase Hong Kong’s first table tennis medal at the event.

One small success, one giant leap of inspiration

Fencer Summer Sit Fay, also 21, is preparing for her National Games debut after securing bronze medals at the Asian Cadet and Junior Fencing Championships and Summer World University Games.

She vividly recalls her thrilling one-point victory in the Asian Cadet and Junior Fencing Championships quarter-finals, which secured her a spot in the top four and earned her a bronze medal, an achievement she found deeply memorable.

The medal boosted her confidence, and she has since overcome past struggles with nerves by using self-talk to stay focused and enjoy competitions, leading to improved performances.

Having started fencing at seven, she switched from foil to sabre in secondary school and became a full-time athlete two years ago while pursuing a social sciences degree at the University of Hong Kong.

Supported by the Hong Kong Sports Institute’s nutritionists and psychologists, as well as her family— including her sabre-fencing sister— Sit has developed mental resilience to manage competition nerves.

Inspired by Edgar Cheung’s Olympic men’s foil gold and Vivian Kong’s women’s épée gold in Paris 2024, she stated that the team morale was high and highly motivated.

Win and lose as one

Sit has frequently joined her teammates on the podium in team events, securing a gold medal at the Asian U23 Championships and a bronze at the Asian Fencing Championships.

She values the strong camaraderie developed through constant time together, fostering a deep team understanding.

Within the team, there’s an unspoken rule against blaming each other for losses, as they view themselves as a cohesive unit where teammates step up to recover points if one underperforms, sharing both successes and setbacks collectively.

Set for training in Japan and competing in the Asian U23 Championships in Malaysia, Sit is eager to compete at Kai Tak Sports Park, aiming for a team podium finish and a shot at the 2028 Olympics.