Mark Kwok Kin-ming finally received a tangible reward for his years of hard work lapping swimming pools in Hong Kong and the United States when he bagged a well-deserved bronze in the 400-metre freestyle last night.
Kwok, who was easily the dominant Hong Kong distance swimmer of the past few years, held off a last-gasp surge by South Korea's Woo Cheol to claim Hong Kong's first podium finish in swimming of the Games.
The versatile Kwok touched home just 0.22 seconds ahead of Woo to finish with a national record of four minutes and 00.44 seconds. Woo finished in 4:00.66.
Kwok will now have his sights set on dipping under the four-minute barrier in an event the UCLA-swimmer has toiled to make his own.
Thailand's Sethsothorn Torlap brought the house down ahead of Kwok by claiming gold, while Japan's Masato Hirano took silver.
In other swimming events last night, Tam Chi-kin clocked a personal best in the 200-metre breaststroke final, but could finish no higher than seventh place in his event.