Wushu artist Poon Hao-ran overcame a slight cold to win a historic gold medal for Hong Kong at the Youth Olympics in Dakar.
Poon, 15, triumphed in the in the men’s Taijiquan combined final for Hong Kong’s first gold in four editions of the Youth Games.
Vietnam’s Nguyen Khac le Hoang took silver, with Japan’s Shiki Kawamura taking bronze.
“I managed to perform consistently despite the pressure. I am quite satisfied with my performance, and I will continue to work hard,” Poon said.
“The competition has a lot of uncertainties and possibilities. Everyone can make mistakes, but I am very happy that I was able to succeed.
“When I came here, I had a little difficulty adapting to the climate, and I also caught a slight cold. I had to overcome that, as well as some injuries I had during regular training. That’s what I went through to achieve this result.”
It was the first Youth Olympics for Poon, who won two golds and a silver at the world taijiquan championships in May.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Rosanna Law Shuk-pui congratulated Poon on his “outstanding performance” in Senegal and “a historic result that has made all Hong Kong citizens proud”
Law also congratulated Su Tsz-tung and Li Ki-ho, who won silver in mixed doubles in table tennis, and swimmer Man Wui-kiu, bronze-medal winner in the women’s 100 meters breaststroke.
Hong Kong is represented in Senegal by 15 athletes – 10 boys and five girls – competing in 12 sports disciplines, including athletics, fencing, rowing and breakdancing.
