As the National Games approaches its closing ceremony, Macao’s sports delegation continued their campaign across multiple disciplines on 17 November, with standout performances in athletics highlighting the day’s competition.
Sprinter Loi Im Lan delivered a historic double record-breaking performance in the women’s 100 meters, while swimmers concluded their eight-day competition with another Macao record. The delegation competed across fencing, cycling, swimming, athletics, volleyball, and table tennis, with determined athletes despite facing strong competition from China’s powerhouse sporting provinces.
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The mixed results underscored both the progress Macao’s athletes have made and the challenges they continue to face on the national stage, as the delegation prepares for its final day of competition.
Record-breaking performance in athletics
The day’s most notable achievement came from sprinter Loi Im Lan, who broke her own Macao record in the women’s 100-meter semi-final with a time of 11.54 seconds – improving on the record she had set just the day before. The performance secured her sixth place overall and a spot in the final, where she clocked 11.56 seconds to finish seventh. This marks the best result ever achieved by Macao’s track and field team at the National Games.
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Other Macao athletes in track and field faced tougher challenges. In the men’s 400-meter preliminaries, Huang Jingsong and Wong Cheng Sam finished 17th and 18th overall with times of 50.28 and 50.70 seconds, respectively, failing to advance. Ma Chong Kun placed 19th in the men’s long jump, qualifying with a distance of 6.83 meters, while Lam Seong Seong finished 21st in the women’s long jump with 5.11 meters, with neither advancing to the next round.
Fencing competition in Hong Kong
At the Hong Kong venue, Ku Hio Lam showed promise in women’s individual foil, successfully navigating the group stage with three wins and three losses against competitors from Hong Kong, Hunan, and an independent participant. Her 13th-place group stage finish earned her a spot in the Round of 32 knockout stage, though her campaign ended with an 8-15 loss to a Chongqing athlete.
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Fellow fencers Lam Chi Mei and Iec Pek Chan finished 41st and 42nd overall, respectively, while Lin Seng Iao’s men’s épée campaign ended after the group stage, where he recorded one win and five losses to finish 36th.
Swimming wraps up with a new record
The eight-day swimming competition concluded with Macao setting one final record. The women’s 4×100-meter medley relay team of Wong Un Iao, Chen Pui Lam, Cheang Weng Chi, and Kuok Hei Cheng swam 4:22.30 in the preliminaries, slashing 2.84 seconds off the previous Macao record. Despite the achievement, the team finished 16th overall and did not advance.
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The men’s relay team of Chan Si Chon, Chao Man Hou, Lam Chi Chong, and Ng Chi Hin also placed 16th with a time of 3:51.97, concluding all swimming events for the delegation.
Cycling, table tennis, and volleyball results
In track cycling’s final day, Au Hoi Ian competed in the women’s omnium, finishing 16th overall with 22 points across four events. She placed 16th in the scratch race, 18th in both the tempo and elimination races, and 12th in the points race.
The table tennis teams faced strong opposition from powerhouse provinces. The men’s team lost 0-3 to Guangdong, while the women’s team suffered defeats against both Sichuan and Guangdong, completing all their events at the Games.
Team member Zhu Yuling, speaking with TDM after the match against Guangdong, said she cherished the opportunity to represent Macao in the National Games, adding that she felt she was constantly improving throughout the course of the game and was continuing to unleash her potential.
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Macao’s women’s volleyball team also faced Guangdong in their ranking group match, losing 0-3. The Macao delegation will continue competing today in athletics, men’s and women’s volleyball, and canoeing as the National Games are almost ending.
Meanwhile, host city Shenzhen announced at a press conference that its athletes had captured 15 gold, 12 silver, and 9 bronze medals as of Sunday, demonstrating the competitive level of this year’s games.
