Analysis | Tokyo Olympics: Sarah Lee’s bronze tinged with mild disappointment, which says everything about how good Hong Kong have been at Games
- Six medals won in Japan make it the greatest Games ever for city’s athletes
- Unprecedented success raised expectations for cyclist in her sprint semi-final
After all, it is a tremendous feat that was celebrated ecstatically when she first achieved it at the London 2012 Games, where she won Hong Kong’s only medal and just the city’s third ever.
In Japan, Hong Kong has now trebled its all-time medal haul, which perhaps explains why expectations might have been ever so slightly raised.
Lee has ensured she goes into the history books as Hong Kong’s only multi-Olympic medal winner, with her second bronze medal coming nine years after her first.
Hopefully, she will be the first of many multi-Olympic medallists in this young Hong Kong squad.
The only element of her incredible achievement that could be considered anything less than remarkable was her performance on Saturday, when she swatted aside Britain’s Katy Marchant, the Rio 2016 bronze medallist, that suggested she was capable of going at least one step further up the podium.
But in her semi-final, she came up against an inspired opponent in Ukraine’s Olena Starikova, a star of the future who beat out the 34-year-old with sheer power, and eventually claimed the silver medal.
Hong Kong fans proud of Sarah Lee and best-ever Games haul
Lee was relegated to competing for bronze against the team sprint silver-medal winner from earlier in the Games, Germany’s Emma Hinze. And it was here, against the reigning sprint, keirin and team sprint world champion, that Lee underscored her credentials as one of the best tactical racers in the sport.
She pawed with Hinze in the opening race of their bronze-medal contest, before striking at the exact right time and romping into a 1-0 lead. The second race was another cagey affair, with Lee drawing on all her experience to avoid making the first move.
The Hongkonger eventually forced Hinze to strike out first and timed her run over the top of the German and into the city’s sporting history books to perfection.
It was a clinical display and one befitting a cyclist as highly regarded and decorated as Lee.
Will it definitely be the last act of a fine Olympic career for the veteran? She would not be drawn on the question, only playfully responding “we’ll see”, but she did confirm she would head directly to Shanghai to quarantine ahead of the China National Games.
Lee admitted to being taken by surprise at how quick some of her rivals were this week. And while many of those competing at Izu Velodrome have reported that the track was lightning fast, and that they expected records to tumble in the conditions, Lee pointed to a less than ideal build-up to the Games as a factor for her appearing off the pace early on.
“Our closed-door training might not have been good enough to prepare me for these Games,” Lee said. “It could have been better. Only training in Hong Kong meant that the level was perhaps not good enough.”
There had been suspicions earlier in the week, after she laboured in the keirin before qualifying ninth quickest in the sprint, that perhaps she was struggling in younger company. Lee admitted that had been the case.
“There have been many psychological problems for me,” Lee said. “Especially in the 200m qualifiers when my result lagged far behind my competitors. I needed to tell myself tomorrow is a new day after my struggles. With the concerted effort of my team, we succeeded.
“I have some regrets in the keirin – a mistake in the semi-finals affected my chances of reaching the final, or I could have reached my target.”
Much had been made about Lee’s status as a veteran in perhaps her final Games. She was one of the oldest riders in the field in Izu, but she said she had been confident that her advanced years were an advantage rather than a weakness.
“Every race is a learning process,” Lee said. “If you put too much focus on winning a medal, you might not get it, but if you release yourself and try different tactics, you may be able to make it.
“Against younger riders, age does not matter. It depends more on your form on the day. Psychological form affects the result a lot. I have raced for five days and I became more stable in my mind.”
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After a high pressure build-up to these unique Olympics, Lee spoke of relief that it was over and said she now needs rest before switching her focus to the National Games.
“I haven’t ever slept without pressure. Now the most important thing is for me to get a nice sleep,” she said, slumped in a chair before trailing away for a well-earned rest.
“I’m not thinking too much about the upcoming events. I can have a good sleep before the National Games. Nothing is more important than that. There’s no need to give yourself too much burden. Do your own job properly and that’s the spirit of Hong Kong.”
