Tennis player Coleman Wong Chak-lam won his historic men’s singles title at the Asian Games earlier this month.
The 22-year-old Hongkonger was facing China’s Wu Yibing, who is ranked No 111 in the world. Winning would also come with a place at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
Wong’s triumph at Higashiyama Park Tennis Centre suggests the 99 players ranked above him should worry.
His gold was the eighth the city’s athletes had won in Japan. Within the city’s overall medal count of 54 is a record 11 golds. This was three more than in 2023.
“Before the Games started, I was just hoping to win a medal, regardless of the colour,” Wong said. “But honestly, now reaching this point, winning this medal, you can call it unlocking an achievement.”
Wong also explained the role his family played in getting him to this stage of his tennis career.
“Since I was young, my family always had the mindset of, ‘OK, if you want to do it, just go for it’,” Wong said. “I went abroad ... to try at a very young age.”
He hopes his success can convince other families in the city to take a leap of faith in sports.
