bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Paul McNamara

Hong Kong’s World Games karate hero Grace Lau Mo-sheung has said she was unhappy to be denied an opportunity to add National Games glory to her global success.
Lau roared to victory over Maho Ono of Japan to top the podium at this month’s Games in Chengdu.
The 33-year-old has now fixed her sights on fulfilling the second half of the pledge she made to her late grandmother, Mary, who died shortly before the World Games.
“I promised her I would become world champion and, for me, that’s two different competitions, the World Games and the World Championships in November,” Lau said. “Step one is done and I’m going to make the second happen.
“I’ve won a lot of Karate Premier League events, but this one means a lot because it’s my first with the word ‘world’ in it.”
Lau said she was motivated by her grandmother’s memory because “her personality inspired me”.
“She had to take care of five kids by herself and worked very hard,” Lau said. “I want to work hard for my family and I inherited that from her.”

Karate is a National Games mass participation event. Lau competed in 2017, when it featured on the main programme.
A two-time Asian Games bronze medallist, Lau said she had to carefully choose her words to describe her view of karate’s marginalisation.
“It’s changed to a different thing, which surprised me a bit,” she said.
“I’m sad they don’t have individual kata, [which has meant] I don’t have the opportunity to compete.”
Lau was more phlegmatic over karate’s ongoing omission from the Olympics. On the only occasion it figured, in Tokyo four years ago, Lau claimed bronze.
“When I started in karate it wasn’t an Olympic sport, so it was a bonus to be able to compete,” she said.
“I’m lucky it happened when I was at an age where I could perform well, physically and mentally. I was able to enjoy the whole experience, and the medal is a very special souvenir.
“Of course, I want karate back in the Olympics, but I have my goals to achieve and I’m not giving up because we’re not in there.”
Hong Kong claimed six World Games medals, adding to the four captured by the city’s athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics and 53 from the previous year’s Asian Games.
Lau, who attended a welcome home reception with her fellow World Games medallists on Wednesday, said seeing her compatriots succeed provided “motivation and inspiration” and encouraged her to do better.
“When Cheung Ka-long won his gold medal in Tokyo, I was still in Miami training and his result motivated me to train harder … I almost threw up,” she said.
Lau planned to take her newly acquired medal to every training session, “so I can keep looking at it as motivation for the world championships”.
To prepare for the world competition in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, she was planning a two-month camp in Spain with retired Olympic champion and 2022 World Games winner Sandra Sanchez, whom Lau credited with dissuading her from quitting in 2023.
“I felt I’d reached my peak and maybe I should stop, but Sandra and her husband, who was her former coach, gave me motivation and helped me,” Lau said. “I’ve been working with them for the past two years and we’re creating new stories.”
Nonetheless, Lau said she was undecided over whether she would try for a first Asian Games gold in Japan next year.
“I want to focus on the world championships, then I’ll think about it,” Lau said. “It’s a physically demanding sport, but I did tell my training partner it’s interesting I have a world gold, but not one from the Asian Games.”


Disabled athletes’ success an inspiration for all of Hong Kong

China selects Hong Kong handball players – but are they eligible to switch team?

Hongkongers shine at para National Games with golds in swimming, table tennis

Time to cheer on our disabled athletes

2025 National Games

Hong Kong World Games hero Grace Lau ‘sad’ over National Games, targets more global glory

A fired-up Grace Lau during her World Games final success against Japan’s Maho Ono. Photo: Xinhua

Grace Lau (second from right) with her fellow Hong Kong World Games medallists. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong’s top coach struggling for motivation after overseas clubs, title rivals ransack squad

Eastern’s players warm up ahead of a pre-season training session. Photo: Eastern

Roberto Losada (front, right) joins club bosses and experienced players to lead Eastern’s pre-season worship ceremony. Photo: Eastern

Hong Kong marks 75 days until National Games with Cheung Ka-long fencing display

Cheung Ka-long (right) takes on Enzo Lefort at Hong Kong Palace Museum on Tuesday. Photo: Sam Tsang

Spectators enjoy the fencing exhibition event in West Kowloon Cultural District. Photo: Sam Tsang

Cheung Ka-long and Frenchman Enzo Lefort (right) speak after their exhibition bout. Photo: Sam Tsang

Sport

Hong Kong

Olympic bronze medallist thwarted in bid to add National Games gold to impressive CV, fixes sights on another world title


Olympic bronze medallist thwarted in bid to add National Games gold to impressive CV, fixes sights on another world title.


Grace Lau Mo-sheung

Maho Ono

Cheung Ka-long

World Games

Hong Kong World Games hero Grace Lau ‘sad’ over National Games, targets more global glory

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Olympic bronze medallist thwarted in bid to add National Games gold to impressive CV, fixes sights on another world title

Olympic bronze medallist thwarted in bid to add National Games gold to impressive CV, fixes sights on another world title