Hong Kong’s Cheng Ching-yin narrowly missed a medal in the men’s iQFOiL event at the 15th National Games on Thursday morning, finishing fourth in the single-race medal final.
Despite the close call, his performance marked the best result ever for a Hong Kong male athlete in the competition’s history.
Cheng competed against three other athletes in the first round of the medal race final.
He held steady in 3rd place during the early stage but was overtaken by a Fujian athlete in the final stretch, ultimately finishing 4th.
Since Bi Kun, the Hangzhou Asian Games gold medalist who advanced as the top seed in the series, crossed the line in 1st place, and under the competition rules, combined with the points earned from leading the series, this secured the gold medal, only one round of the final was needed to determine the overall results.
Thus, 4th place was also Cheng's final ranking.
Cheng’s fourth-place finish surpassed the previous Hong Kong men’s record of fifth, set by current head coach Chan King-yin in 2009.
While falling just short of a medal, his achievement highlights the rising standard of local windsurfing talent.
Following the National Games, the Hong Kong iQFOiL team will head straight to Shenzhen’s Dameisha Beach next week to compete in the Wingfoil Racing Asian Championships, aiming to build on this momentum with another strong showing.
