Tokyo Olympics: Grace Lau Mo-sheung, the trailblazing karateka who finally left her mark

The former world No 4 spent months stranded in US due to Covid-19 restrictions, but realised her dream at her ‘only Olympics’

‘I hope that my results help us Hongkongers show that even though we are a small city, we can do well in the sport’

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Grace Lau Mo-sheung poses at the Karate Hall in the Sports Institute. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 12:00pm, 4 Aug 2021Updated: 9:19pm, 5 Aug 2021

The latest Hong Kong medal contender to take home a Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games medal, karate exponent Grace Lau Mo-sheung finally got her once-in-a-lifetime moment after circling among the world elite for as long as she can remember.

Lau won bronze after a super performance in the Nippon Budokan in what could be the first and last time karate features at a Games. It was one of four non-permanent sports added to Tokyo, with Paris 2024 already confirming it will not make an appearance.

The entire women’s kata event concluded in one day, with Lau winning one of two bronzes on offer on August 5. Despite spending much of last year stranded in the US, Hong Kong Sports Institute athlete Lau was considered a serious podium prospect.

Equipped with the ability to switch from her bubbly demeanour to being a deadly serious karateka on the mat, here’s what you need to know about the 29-year-old, 1.5 metre (4ft-11in) world No 6 who realised her lifelong dream of bagging an Olympic medal – adding to fencer Cheung Ka-long, swimmer Siobhan Haughey, and the women’s table tennis team’s historic achievements.

Grace Lau Mo-sheung in the individual women’s kata competition at the East Asian Karate Championships in Hong Kong in 2019. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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