Asian Games 2023: beating South Korea to bronze medal could prolong Hong Kong cyclist’s career
- Pursuit quartet’s breakthrough medal, won by stunning the Koreans, ‘had been our goal years in the making’
- ‘This medal is a strong testimonial to us,’ Chloe Leung says – while sister Boey wants to stay on after seeing improvement
Hong Kong cyclists Boey Leung Bo-yee and Chloe Leung Wing-yee cited hope and determination as the drivers that pushed them to a place on the Asian Games podium in last week’s women’s 4km team pursuit.
Together with Yang Qianyu and Ceci Lee Sze-wing, the Leungs stunned South Korea at the Chun’an Jieshou Sports Centre Velodrome last Wednesday to bring home bronze in four minutes, 28.888 seconds – almost 1.6 seconds quicker than the old city record.
“Any hope of a Games medal appeared to be drifting away,” Boey Leung said – but then they found “hope” in the South Koreans’ “not-so-fast time” at the Asian Championships in June.
Meanwhile the Hongkongers – who in the China Track Cycling League in March had broken a city best that had stood for eight years – clocked an unofficial time of 4:28.00 during training ahead of Hangzhou.
Chloe Leung said it was the “power of a shared goal” that pushed them forward.