HK wushu athlete snatches gold at world games

Wushu athlete Leung Yu-hong snatched the first gold for Hong Kong in Sanda on the closing day of the World Wushu Championships held in Texas, United States, taking the city's medal count to three golds, three silvers and three bronzes in this year's event.

Leung competed in the men's 60 kilogram Sanda event and successively defeated opponents from Spain, South Korea and Kyrgyzstan without dropping a bout to advance to the final.

In the final, he defeated Vietnam's Nguyen Manh Cuong 2-0, and bagged Hong Kong's first-ever World Wushu Championships Sanda gold medal.

Apart from Leung, female athletes He Jianxin, Lydia Sham Hiu-yu and Michelle Yeung Tsz-ying also won a gold medal in the women's Duilian, or duel event, while Lau Chi-lung snatched gold in the men's Nanquan - a Chinese martial art that originated in southern China.

Hong Kong's trip to Texas ended with the city ranking fourth in the standings.

China topped the medal table with 15 gold medals, followed by Vietnam with five golds, three silvers and three bronzes. Macau ranked third with five golds, two silvers and four bronze medals.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung congratulated the SAR athletes for their outstanding performances and achievements in the championships.

"Hong Kong, China's Wushu delegation performed in the competitions with flying colors," he said. "They showed the demeanor of champions of martial arts on the international stage, promoting the national essence and telling good Hong Kong stories."

Separately, Hong Kong snooker star Ng On-yee was unable to overcome mainland player Bai Yulu in the final and snatched silver in the IBSF World Championships in Qatar.

Ng, who won the annual tournament three times - in 2009, 2010 and 2019 - advanced to the knockout stage with two wins and one loss in the group stage. She then defeated three Indian players in a row to reach the final.

Despite achieving the tournament's highest break, Ng lost to Bai 0-4 after a tough battle and had to settle for silver on Monday night local time.

Still, Hong Kong achieved eye-catching results in this year's IBSF, with snooker players Cheung Ka-wai and Chang Yu-kiu defeating players from Ireland, Iran and Poland in the men's doubles to reach the final.

The duo then defeated their Cypriot opponents 4-2 to claim Hong Kong's first-ever IBSF Team World Championships title.