22-Year-Old ‘Little Queen of Cycling’ From Hong Kong Sets Her Sights on the Olympics After Successful Asian Games Run

All athletes are looking for one thing: being the best in the world. Almost everyone starts small, unless, of course, your name is Kylian Mbappe. While most athletes are still entering their prime in their early twenties, some excel wildly. We have often seen such performances across sports, wherein individual brilliance carries the team to success. The latest example of such individual brilliance is the performance of Ceci Lee Sze-Wing. The 22-year-old from Hong Kong gave it her all in the Asian Games and is now setting up for something even bigger.

Sze-Wing took home three medals at the Asian Games. The winnings include a silver medal in the women’s omnium event. The event is a points-based competition that consists of four different races. The rising star is clearly delivering on promises made when she was  18 when she won a bronze medal at 18 in her first Asian Championships.

Hopes of the Country

After Hong Kong’s Olympic medalist Sarah Lee Wai-sze retired, the spotlight has been on Ceci Lee Sze-Wing. Now, as the 2024 Olympics gets closer, the expectations of the nation are resting on Lee’s shoulders. Hong Kong’s cycling coach has called the 22-year-old  the team’s “future main force.” Still, Lee draws a lot of inspiration from Sarah. During the Asian Games, when Lee was neck and neck with Japanese Olympic medalist Yumi Kajihara, Sarah encouraged the young athlete.

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“Sarah kept encouraging me not to give up, no matter if it was possible or not. She said I should keep thinking about how to win, rather than settling for second place as the goal,” said Lee. Lee also mentioned conversations where Sarah had eased the pressure on her with encouragement and reassurance.

Dubbed the ‘little queen of cycling” in Hong Kong, Lee wants to achieve the feats of famous cyclists like Wong Kam-po, Kwok Ho-ting, and Sarah Lee. “I aspire to become a world champion one day and achieve the same level of success as these legends,” says Lee, admitting she has a long way to go.

Origins of Ceci Lee Sze-Wing

Initially, Lee began her athletic journey as a triathlon athlete. Surprisingly, the Asian Games star fell short at the cycling portion of the events. However, to help Lee improve, her father enrolled her in the Cycling Association of Hong Kong’s Stars of Tomorrow program. Despite being the youngest and least experienced on her team, Lee’s competitive spirit fuelled her determination.

Hong Kong athletes have stepped their game up over the last few years. In fact, they have been a lot more extroverted since after the country’s historic wins at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Lee claims that even her parents are now flocked by Hong Kongers who attended the Asian Games.

“I did not anticipate such immense passion from people towards the game and the sport. It truly touched me, and I felt that more people are supporting us,” she said.

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