HK athletes shine with five-medal haul on dominant day at National Games

The Hong Kong team enjoyed one of its most fruitful days at the 15th National Games on Saturday, capturing a total of five medals — one gold, one silver, and three bronze — across swimming, fencing, and triathlon.

The city's delegation clinched five gold, one silver, and four bronze as of Saturday night, exceeding its medal count from the previous edition of the National Games held in Shaanxi in 2021.

Leading the charge was Hong Kong's "flying fish" Siobhan Haughey, who cemented her winning strike with a commanding victory in the women's 100-meter freestyle final, securing her second gold medal of the sports meet.

Her triumph at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center came just two days after she stood atop the podium in the 200m freestyle's finale. The Asian 100m freestyle record holder lived up to expectations with a powerful and technically superb swim, touching the wall first in 52.89 seconds, followed by Shandong's Yang Junxuan and Jiangxi's Cheng Yujie.

In a post-race interview, Haughey said she was satisfied with her performance.

"I see this entire competition as a stepping stone, allowing me to keep improving and moving forward, but I'm also very satisfied with my current condition," she said.

The Olympic silver medalist also promised to prepare well for Sunday's 50m freestyle event and expressed gratitude for the support from Hong Kong residents.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Adam Mak Sai-ting snatched a bronze medal in his signature men's 200m breaststroke final while setting a new Hong Kong record of 2 minutes 9.93 seconds. The medal marked his first ever at the National Games.

On the fencing strips, Hong Kong athletes made history. Aaron Ho Sze-long captured silver in the men's sabre, marking the best-ever result for Hong Kong fencers in the event at the National Games. In the women's individual épée, Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan, 24, delivered a composed and skillful performance to claim bronze.

In triathlon, Oscar Coggins clinched bronze in the men's individual event — the first time Hong Kong has reached the podium in the sport since 2009. Coggins said he was "really happy" to win a National Games medal, especially in front of a home crowd, and thanked the enthusiastic local supporters.

Hong Kong female triathlete Cade Wright narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth. She expressed satisfaction with her performance, noting that she had not expected to finish in the top five. She highlighted that her swim segment was the best of her career, boosting her confidence for Sunday's mixed relay, where she hopes to secure a medal.

The 15th National Games is co-hosted by Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong province.