Paris Olympics: home failure not fatal to Hong Kong judoka Wong’s hopes of making Games this summer
- Wong Ka-lee loses in first bout of the day at Asian Judo Championships to Kurbanay Kurbanova in women’s under-48kgs category
- If Wong does qualify for Summer Games, it will be first time city has sent a judo athlete since London 2012
Hong Kong’s Olympic hopeful Wong Ka-lee burst into tears after bowing out in the early stages of the Asian Judo Championships in front of family and friends on Saturday.
But the result at the Kowloon Bay International Trade & Exhibition Centre is not likely to ruin her dreams of competing at the Paris Games this summer, with 25-year-old still expected to be in a position to qualify when rankings close on June 23.
If the 25-year-old does make it to France, it will be first time Hong Kong has sent a judoka to the Olympics since Cheung Chi-yip, competing in the men’s under-73 kilograms, lost to Nicholas Delpopolo of the United States at the London Games in 2012.
“I am so sorry to let my family and friends down,” Wong said, after losing to Kurbanay Kurbanova in the first bout of the day. “I’ve disappointed you all, but I’ll do better the next time.”
Competing in the women’s under-48kgs category, Wong, on paper at least, appeared to have the upper hand, having previously recorded back-to-back wins last year over her opponents at the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam and Kuwait City Asian Open.
But it was not to be in their third meeting, with the local fan favourite unable to find a way past her Turkmenistan opponent in the only round of 32 bout of her weight class.