Macao athletes have continued their campaign at the 15th National Games of China, taking part in a packed schedule that included swimming, basketball, judo, table tennis, volleyball and dragon and lion dance, as teenagers across the mainland stole headlines with record-breaking performances.
In Foshan, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao joint team earned a first-class award in the Southern Lion freestyle routine of the dragon and lion dance competition, scoring 9.28 points on the event’s opening day.
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At the pool, Wong Un Iao completed the women’s 100-metre backstroke in 1 minute 05.15 seconds, placing 48th overall. In the women’s 100-metre breaststroke, Chen Pui Lam and Cheang Weng Chi recorded 1:11.85 and 1:16.31, respectively, finishing 30th and 52nd, while Chan Si Chon ranked 45th in the men’s 100-metre backstroke with a time of 1:01.93.
In judo, Chen Haozheng fell in the men’s -73 kg round of 32 to an opponent from the China Coal Mine Sports Association. Meanwhile, Macao’s women’s volleyball team lost 0-3 to a Henan side led by national star Zhu Ting, and the men’s U20 volleyball squad was also defeated 0-3 by Hunan.
In table tennis, Lei Man In claimed a singles win during the women’s U18 team tie against Jilin, though Macao eventually lost 1-3. Kuan Cheok Lam was beaten by Jiangsu’s Qian Tianyi in the women’s U18 singles, while Li Sio Iao and Cheong Chon Hin exited the men’s U18 singles after 0-4 losses to players from Hebei and Shanghai.
On the basketball court, the Macao men’s U18 team suffered a heavy loss to Hebei (66-107) and later fell to Jiangsu (83-132) in group-stage play.
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While Macao’s athletes continued to battle through their rounds, new stars were making headlines across the mainland. In Shenzhen, 13-year-old Yu Zidi from Hebei stunned spectators by setting an Asian record in the women’s 200-metre individual medley, winning gold in 2:07.41 – breaking Ye Shiwen’s 2012 mark. Her victory adds to a growing list of achievements that includes national titles and a world-championship bronze earlier this year.
Over in Guangdong, teenagers took over the skateboarding competitions. Zou Mingke, 13, clinched the women’s park gold with a score of 86.92, edging out 12-year-old Meng Lingyan of Shandong. In the men’s park, Chen Ye, 17, the 2022 Asian Games champion, earned gold with 87.23 points after a final-round comeback. Cui Chenxi, 15, of Shandong, took the women’s street title, while Pan Jiajie, 25, also from Guangdong, captured men’s street gold.
As the second week of the Games continues, attention now turns to upcoming swimming and athletics finals, where more young contenders – including Yu Zidi, who races again in the 200 butterfly – are expected to make waves for their provinces.
