Diary of a champion: Ceci Lee already eyeing Asian Games, tells coach she must work harder
Three-gold National Games cyclist says she has learned there is much room for improvement, and that ‘I need to trust and believe in myself’
I really enjoyed the few minutes after I won the omnium for my third National Games gold on Monday, riding slowly around the track and seeing the Hong Kong people cheering and so excited. I found my family in the crowd and had a selfie with them, which was a special moment.
But as I climbed off my bike to walk across for my medal ceremony, with the fans still making lots of noise, I could feel my own joy beginning to soften.
My mind was already turning to the Asian Games in September next year. As I sat alone for about 30 seconds before the medal ceremony, I was thinking about how I could improve over the next 10 months. Waiting to go on the podium with Hervé [Dagorne, head coach], I told him I wanted to work harder; I want this to be the platform for more success. I know I have a lot of room for improvement.
I wasn’t completely satisfied with how I performed in the omnium. I was aggressive and attacking in the first two disciplines, but I made some small errors in the elimination and points races. They could have been expensive mistakes because my winning margin was one point. It is a positive, though, that I got the victory despite knowing I could have ridden better.
The omnium is a long day, with about five hours between the second and third races. I stretched and did some recovery exercises, then managed to have a sleep and some food and went back to the velodrome feeling fresh.
Afterwards, my family and I wanted to go out for dinner to celebrate, but all the restaurants were closed, so we ended up having a normal meal at home.