Year in review: Gary White, Ng On-yee, Sarah Lee, Jacqueline Siu feature in top 10 Hong Kong sports achievements of 2018

It’s fair to say that 2018 was a memorable year for Hong Kong’s sporting stars, with plenty of history made.

With 46 medals – including eight gold and 18 silver – the Asian Games in Indonesia proved to be a fruitful hunting ground for Hong Kong.

But there was also some rare success for the men’s football team while snooker queen Ng On-yee continued to dominate.

Here are 10 of Hong Kong’s top sporting achievements in 2018:

1. Shek Wai-hung (gymnastics)

Shek successfully defended his men’s vault title at the Asian Games after beating a strong field including 2016 Rio Olympics champion Ri Se-gwang of North Korea and talented South Korean Kim Han-sol. He remains the only Asian Games gymnastics medallist from Hong Kong.

Year in review: the biggest sporting scandals, controversies and disappointments of 2018

2. Men’s rugby sevens team

The rugby sevens team clinched their first ever gold medal at the Asian Games, beating arch-rivals Japan for the first time in the final after losing to the same opponents for silver over the last two editions. It was also the first team sport gold for Hong Kong at the Asian Games.

Year in review: from Journeyman and Creed II to Bobby Robson and Man United – what were the best sports films of 2018?

3. Sarah Lee Wai-sze (track cycling)

Lee won back-to-back Asian Games gold medals with her victories in both the women’s sprint and keirin. She also finished with a silver medal in the team sprint. The powerful sprinter has so far won five Asian Games gold medals, the most from any Hong Kong athlete.

Chinese football year in review 2018: more madness, but plenty of positives in another crazy campaign

4. Leo Au Chun-ming (squash)

Hong Kong’s first Asian Games men’s squash title was secured after Au beat compatriot Max Lee Ho-yin in the final. Having two finalists was a massive achievement considering Hong Kong’s previous best result on the men’s side was only a bronze medal.

Year in review: relive the top 10 most amazing sporting moments of 2018

5. Women’s team (squash)

The first Asian Games team squash gold medal for Hong Kong arrived after victory over India in the final. Featuring Annie Au Wing-chi, Joey Chan Ho-ling, Ho Tze-lok and Lee ka-yi, the team only dropped one match on their way to clinching the title.

6. Jacqueline Siu Wing-ying (equestrian)

Hong Kong’s first equestrian gold medal in the history of the Asian Games was finally secured when Siu won the individual dressage. She was fourth at the last Games in Incheon but Siu made tremendous improvement to stand atop the podium in Jakarta.

7. Ng On-yee (snooker)

Ng won her second consecutive women’s world title after her victory in Malta, and was named world No 1 in February. It was also her third world championship success over the last four years as she also won in 2015 and 2017. She was the runner-up in 2016.

8. Wong Chun-ting and Doo Hoi-kem (table tennis)

The pair won the world tour grand finals in the mixed doubles after defeating their Korean opponents. The two home grown talents followed the success of former mainlander Tang Peng and Jiang Tianyi who clinched the men’s doubles title for Hong Kong at the 2010 year-end tournament.

9. Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan (fencing)

Hsieh clinched the gold medal at the world’s cadet championships in the girls’ épée in Verona, Italy. The 17-year-old high school student also clinched a silver medal in the third Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, making it a fruitful 2018.

10. Men’s team (soccer)

Under new coach Gary White, Hong Kong finished ahead of North Korea to qualify for next year’s EAFF Championship final where they will meet regional heavyweights Japan, South Korea and China in 2019. White abruptly left the job in December after just three months in charge, heading for J.League 2 side Tokyo Verdy, to be closer to his family who are based in the Japanese capital.