Tokyo Games: Karate exponent Lee Ka-wai to take part in Paris qualifiers – ‘this will be my last chance for the Olympics’
- Lee will compete in a Paris qualifying tournament 15 months after he broke his ribs in competition in the French capital
- His injuries forced him to stay in Hong Kong for treatment while his Hong Kong teammates travelled to Europe for training but caught Covid-19 last year
When karate exponent Jimmy Lee Ka-wai returns to Paris in June, he will have only one target and that is to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
It was 15 months ago when the 32-year-old veteran last competed in the French capital in a Premier League karate tournament, which also happened to be the Hong Kong star’s last event since all major international events came to a grinding halt because of the pandemic soon after that.
“I don’t know if it was lucky or unlucky in my last campaign in Paris,” said Lee, a silver medallist at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon and a bronze medallist in Guangzhou four years ago. “I broke one of my ribs in the tournament and was forced to return home to Hong Kong. I had to stay home for treatment followed by rehabilitation while my fellow teammates soon left Hong Kong again for a training camp in Europe fearing the coronavirus might stop them from taking part in the Olympic qualification tournament.
“And we all know what happened to the team when they were forced to return to Hong Kong as the pandemic started to hit Europe hard.”
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Three of the players who returned from France in March last year were infected by Covid-19. A coach who led the squad was also infected. Lee Chun-ho was the first athlete to have tested positive, followed by fellow teammates Tsang Tsang Yee-ting and Chau Ka-him. Frenchman Rida Bel-Lahsen, one of the kumite coaches, was the fourth one to be hit by Covid-19. Altogether four members of the squad out of five were infected.
“It is very likely that I would also been infected the virus had I gone with my teammates to Europe,” said Lee. “But I escaped [the situation] and I have been able to focus on my training until the qualification starts again. I’m a bit lucky to a certain extent.”
With karate not included as a medal sport for the 2024 Paris Games, Lee must grab the chance of qualifying for Paris with both hands as the veteran is unlikely to have another crack at the Olympics as he will be deemed too old – even if the sport makes a reappearance at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
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“I am older but also wiser and this is important in combat sport,” said the under-75kg kumite athlete. “My physical condition may not be as strong as the young athletes but I know how to tackle my opponents by applying the right tactics. This is likely to be the last and only chance for me to make it to the Olympic Games and I must treasure the opportunity.”
Karate has a limited number of entries for the Tokyo Olympic Games, with only 10 qualifiers in each of the eight categories, the men’s and women’s kata plus three different weight categories in the men’s and women’s kumite.
The top four ranked athletes of each category will get a ticket, with three more coming from the qualification tournament in Paris. There will also be two from continental representation or Tripartite Commission invitation, plus one from the hosts.
“The qualification tournament will be our last hope and only those who are in the top 100 are allowed to compete,” said the world number 78, who also finished seventh t the 2016 World Championships. “There will probably be around 60 athletes going to Paris with only three obtaining the spot. It’s will be very tough.”
The Hong Kong team, which also includes medal hopeful Grace Lau Mo-sheung in women’s kata, the only athlete that has secured the qualification by virtual of her world ranking, will first travel to Portugal for a Premier League tournament later this month before heading to Paris in the final build-up for the qualifiers.
