Golden boys

Hong Kong lifted seven medals - two golds and five bronzes - on the first day of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou yesterday.

Rowers Lam San-tung and Wong Wai-chun bagged the first gold in men's pair rowing as top local fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long took the second gold in individual foil.

Flying Fish Siobhan Haughey, an Olympic medalist, did not disappoint, scooping a bronze in the 50-meter breaststroke.

The women's 4x100m freestyle relay team, consisting of Tam Hoi-lam, Camille Cheng Lily-mei, Stephanie Au Hoi-shun and Haughey also snatched a bronze.

The women's 4x100m freestyle relay team, consisting of Natalie Kan Cheuk-tung, Tam Hoi-lam, Camille Cheng Lily-mei and Haughey also snatched a bronze.

They finished in three minutes and 39.1 seconds, breaking the Hong Kong record, but the time was 5.14 seconds behind China, which smashed the Games mark.

With seven medals, Hong Kong is fourth behind South Korea (four golds) and Japan (two golds) out of 45 regions and countries in the medal standings, with China top with 18 golds.

Lam, 25, and Wong, 23, who finished top in the Asian Championship in Thailand last year, proved their mettle in the men's pair rowing with a time of six minutes and 44.2 seconds, four seconds ahead of Uzbekistan.

Lam said he was very happy to "start off the Hong Kong team strong" and hoped their medal will bring good luck to other Hong Kong athletes. He added: "I believe my partner, the coaching team and myself deserve the medal 100 percent for the effort we exerted. I heard Cantonese and Putonghua speakers that cheered us on, which made our fatigue disappear and gave us a sense of belonging."

Wong said he is proud to be Hong Kong's first gold winner: "I am very confident in myself and my partner, and I have simulated the race in my head numerous times and everything came out just as I expected."

Later in the day, Hong Kong's top fencer Cheung thumped China's 28-year-old Chen Haiwei 15-2 in the men's foil event.

After the bout, Cheung said he was quite calm before the match but started to get ambitious as it progressed.

"The most challenging one was the bout against Japan [fencer Takahiro Shikine in the semifinals], as I was trailing, and Shikine is a very good fencer too. I was quite fortunate that I could catch up in the end," Cheung added.

Current world No 7 Cheung had to show his mental toughness in the semifinals against Shikine, ranked 29th in the world, despite leading the match 6-3 at one point.

Shikine subsequently started to dominate and was just one point away 14-12, before Cheung mounted a comeback and took the match 15-14.

In the other semifinal, Ryan Choi Chun-yin, 25, currently ranked No 23 in the world, was unable to overcome China's Chen 15-9, and had to settle for bronze. Also in fencing, Vivian Kong Man-wai, 29, added a bronze in women's epee after she fell to South Korea's Song Sera in the semifinals. Song dominated the match from the beginning and fended off Kong's rally.

Swimmer Haughey broke her Hong Kong record in the 50m breast stroke, finishing in 30.36 seconds, 0.4 second behind winner China's Tang Qianting.

Chen Suijin, 32, won a bronze for Hong Kong in wushu in the women's Taijiquan and Taijijian all-around event.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, who is in Hangzhou, congratulated the two rowers for snatching the first gold for Hong Kong, adding his only to-do list for the day was to cheer and support the city's athletes.

As both Lam and Wong are students of the Education University, its president John Lee Chi-kin said he is proud of the two for their spirit to strive for excellence.

Baptist University congratulated Cheung for his gold medal in the men's foil event and praised him for his "unparalleled perseverance and relentless pursuit of excellence."

China won its first gold medal in the women's light-weight double sculls rowing event.

Macau's Song Chi-kuan won bronze in wushu in the men's Changquan event.

President Xi Jinping opened the Games on Saturday .

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com