Hong Kong’s women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay team of Li Sum-yiu, Wang Xintong, Man Wui-kiu, and Gilaine Ma fought to a hard-earned sixth-place finish in Monday night’s final at the 15th National Games, after qualifying eighth earlier in the day.
The quartet had erupted in jubilation in the afternoon when their heat time of 3:45.53 secured a lane for the evening showdown, a goal they had chased since January through a grueling calendar of junior worlds and Asian championships.
Despite the packed schedule, the young swimmers vowed to empty the tank in front of a roaring home crowd.
In the medal race at 8.18pm, Shandong edged Zhejiang by a mere tenth of a second to claim gold in 3:36.51, with Hebei rounding out the podium at 3:38.90. Hong Kong held steady in the pack, unable to crack the top five but proud to represent the city on the national stage.
Although they did not step onto the podium, the four swimmers were thoroughly satisfied with their performance and result.
Man said the relay had boosted her confidence and revealed that the team often hung out together, building strong chemistry.
Li admitted the ranking was unexpected, explaining that they had never imagined such a result, especially since it was not the main event for some of them.
She added that making the final with this lineup felt incredibly fortunate and that competing in such a beautiful venue allowed them to give Hong Kong people a proud answer.
Man further expressed how overjoyed she was and explained that their synergy came from being close friends off the pool, noting that they were all good buddies outside the water and often went out together.
She added that the relay had lifted their spirits, so they would face upcoming races without fear.
Wang also praised the venue, describing the atmosphere, lighting, and environment as top-class and saying it helped everyone get into the zone quickly.
