Sarah Lee had no plan to compete at Tokyo Olympics but keirin crash in Rio changed everything
- Lee held in her emotions following the incident but burst into tears after Rio was over
- The veteran still feels powerful ahead of Tokyo next year, despite her advancing years
Track cycling star Sarah Lee Wai-sze had not planned to take part in the Tokyo Olympics, but the racing accident that ruined her Rio Games changed her mind, the Olympian has revealed on social media.
As coronavirus continues to spread in the city, Lee has ceased training after leaving a hotel in Tseung Kwan O where she and fellow teammates spent 14 days in isolation following their return from Switzerland after the World Championships in Berlin.
The veteran, who will turn 33 next month, had time to spare to share some of her experience.
“My original plan was not to take part in the Olympics (after Rio) but now I will have to embrace my third Olympics in Tokyo,” she said. “It’s not because of any resentment. I want to treasure the power given from above and maybe I can, one day, break the record of Olympic appearance set by Wong Kam-po (just kidding),” she said.
Flight leaves Sarah Lee with anxious wait on coronavirus test result
Lee, a committed Christian, debuted for Hong Kong at the 2012 London Games where she collected a bronze medal in the women’s keirin. Four years later in Rio, the in-form rider was robbed of a back-to-back keirin medal following a clash with Anna Meares of Australia in the second round. Lee could not finish the race and was forced to enter the “B” final where she came first and took seventh place overall.
In the sprint, Lee went all the away to the quarter-finals where she met eventual champion Kristina Vogel of Germany and lost 2-0 in the best-of-three clash. She had to settle for overall sixth place after finishing second in the 5th/8th place classifications.
Retired Wong, also a cyclist, took part in five Olympic Games in either road race or track events, from the 1996 Atlanta Games to the London 2012 where he finished a respectable 37th place in the road race at the age of 39.
Medal hope Lee dismisses age concerns amid Olympics delay
Lee revealed she was fighting back tears after the mishap in Rio. “Sometimes winning or not is out of your control, just like the accident that took place in the keirin when I crashed. At that moment, I kept telling myself there was no room for crying and my Olympics still had to go on,” she said. “But when both events were over, I burst into tears.”
Lee also said that, despite the 2020 Olympic Games being pushed back, she still feels powerful enough to push through to Tokyo next year, and she will have more time for preparation.
