Former junior star Yu Kin-ting floored the opposition as Hong Kong struck gold on the first day of the judo competition at the Shek Kip Mei Park Sports Centre.
Yu defeated both his opponents in the men's under-55kg class in impressive fashion, winning both bouts 10-0 to strike an early blow for the hosts. Yu first overcame China's Wang Guogui with an ippon - the highest point awarded in judo - before throwing Macau's Hoi Ka-fong for another ippon. As there were only three entries in the event, the 20-year-old Yu was automatically awarded gold, the best-ever result for a Hong Kong judoka in a multi-sports event.
'This is our first gold in a major competition so this is a huge fillip for us,' said Wong Po-kee, chairman of the Judo Association of Hong Kong. 'Kin-ting was a junior player last year and he has just become a senior member of the Hong Kong squad. We did expect good things from him. His technique is good and he prepared for the event well,' Wong said.
Yu's performance was not a complete surprise as he had performed well in other international competitions, including finishing second at this year's Hong Kong International Judo Tournament in March.
Wang competed in last year's world junior championships, reaching the second round, but was outclassed by Yu in their round-robin match.
China, South Korea, Japan and Mongolia also struck gold with Japan's Yohei Takai winning the battle of the heavyweights in the men's 100kg and over division, defeating China's Liu Jian with a 10-0 scoreline.