Hong Kong’s Grace Lau continues comeback, with coach saying her ability to deal with setbacks sets her apart

Lau seals first medal since Tokyo 2020 Games bronze, describes tumultuous journey from ‘life low’ three years ago

Coach William Thomas praises athlete’s commitment and ‘find a way’ mentality as they target Asian Championships podium finish

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Hong Kong karatedo athlete Grace Lau Mo-sheung (left) and Hong Kong Sports Institute head coach William Thomas before their bronze medal event at the Karate World Championships in Dubai. Photo: Ali Reza Sharajpour

Published: 5:00pm, 24 Nov 2021

Hong Kong karate exponent Grace Lau Mo-sheung has added a second world championship medal to her cabinet, another milestone in her epic comeback tale from reaching a “life low” two years ago.

The 30-year-old Tokyo 2020 Olympics medallist won bronze at the World Karate Federation Senior World Championships women’s individual kata after a scintillating performance against Hesham Aya of Egypt. She was seen emotionally embracing coach William Thomas after the win in Dubai last weekend.

Though she has had plenty to smile about this year, Lau – whose second consecutive worlds bronze comes after making history as the first Hongkonger to win a medal at the last iteration in 2018 – reflected on the obstacles she has faced during the coronavirus pandemic.

Hong Kong history making karate exponent Grace Lau Mo-sheung after winning the Karate World Championships individual women’s kata bronze in Dubai. Photo: Ali Reza Sharajpour

“Thank God I made it AGAIN,” she wrote on her Instagram. “On January 1 2019, the competition scoring system changed and I experienced a low in my life.

“From the start of 2018, I would win medals until the end of the year. But in 2019, from 12 events I only won 4 and my Premier League ranking dropped from 11 to 13. I was so confused and couldn’t grasp the new scoring system standards. So every time I win a medal, it reminds me that I’m coming back.”

Lau said she was aware of the need to up her technical abilities to improve her ranking. The now-world number seven added that she “can’t count the number of times I cried at night” – but something clicked during the past 18 months, where she spent much of the time sharpening and adjusting while competitions were called off one-by-one.

“Everything happens for a reason. I looked back and analysed my past failures, and also seized the opportunity to make corrections,” she said, adding that her 2021 medal haul is proof her tweak in mentality and training worked – “if you accept your losses, you can grow”.