Hong Kong star Ceci Lee backed for Los Angeles Olympics quest after Paris slump
- Herve Dagorne says ‘devil came back’ to Lee during omnium, but insists ‘strong’ rider has ‘good gene for sports’
Herve Dagorne said Hong Kong cycling bosses would continue to back Ceci Lee Sze-wing through to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, after the 23-year-old froze in her final Paris 2024 competition on Sunday.
Familiar flaws returned to stalk Lee at the National Velodrome in Paris, as she struggled tactically and emotionally in an omnium won by American Jennifer Valente.
Lee finished 20th out of 22 riders, and in a tearful interview afterwards admitted to “not knowing what I was doing” during the four-discipline event.
An omnium and Madison silver medallist at last year’s Asian Games, Lee is yet to transfer her continental form to the global stage. She went into her shell in the French capital and did not challenge for points in any race.
Acknowledging it was “really frustrating” watching Lee’s passive performance, Dagorne said he “wished she could have come to see [reporters] in a wheelchair, so tired … but it was not the case”. He additionally compared the pained mid-race expressions on the faces of Lee’s rivals with his rider’s untroubled countenance.
But the head coach said Lee was worth persevering with because she “has all the things many coaches dream about”, and a talent worth investing in for another Olympic cycle.