Tokyo 2020: Grace Lau says fear of regret drove her to claim Olympic bronze in one-off karate outing

Grace Lau knew she was only going to get one shot at nabbing an Olympic medal

The Hongkonger describes how she was able to collect her thoughts after a gruelling day of matches at Tokyo’s famed Nippon Budokan

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Grace Lau said after thinking about all the work she had put in over the years, she cleared her head and went for bronze at Tokyo 2020. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:00pm, 19 Aug 2021Updated: 10:22pm, 19 Aug 2021

As Hong Kong karateka Grace Lau Mo-sheung made her way into the dojo at the 2020 Olympics, her entire career had already flashed before her eyes earlier that day.

At Tokyo’s famed Nippon Budokan, a Japanese arts and cultural Mecca since the 1960s and the venue for the kata event, Lau was battling fatigue and tired legs from the morning session. The empty arena, normally filled with spectators for world championships in the discipline, had an odd feel to it during the Games.

One match stood between Lau and Olympic glory, a chance to win a medal that might never exist again at the Games. The world No 6, who stands 1.5 metres tall, delivered a ferocious performance that commentators called “grace under pressure”.

Up against Dilara Bozan of Turkey, Lau had collected her thoughts and knew exactly what she needed to do to “get 100 per cent out of myself”. She had battled her way through the ranking round, but now needed to produce the performance of her life, which she did, her fourth of the day.

“I knew it was my last performance,” the 29-year-old told the Post, “and this would be the only chance I would get at the Olympics.”

Grace Lau receiving her cheque from Henderson Land Group chairman Martin Lee Ka-shing. Photo: May Tse

Lau was one of a number of Hong Kong Olympians who was mobbed by fans and media on Wednesday at the IFC Mall in Central, where Henderson Land distributed just under HK$20 million to 23 athletes, as sponsors of the Hong Kong government’s Commendation Scheme for Elite Athletes.