Hong Kong’s youth teams sweep junior lacrosse titles, as event eyes 2028 Olympics
City’s teams take five of six championships up for grabs at Hong Kong Lacrosse Junior Open
The city’s youth teams battled torrential rain as well as some strong opposition on their way to securing five titles and one third-place finish at the Hong Kong Lacrosse Junior Open on Sunday.
Despite multiple suspensions because of thunderstorm warnings and a yellow rain signal during the afternoon finals in Aberdeen and Wong Chuk Hang, the young athletes appeared even more excited.
Hong Kong claimed championships in the under-8 and under-10 mixed competitions, the under-12 girls and both under-16 categories, while the under-12 boys finished with bronze.
The highly anticipated U16 finals were delayed by more than an hour, with the boys’ match relocated because of flooded pitches. But after the rain cleared, the home side beat Chinese Taipei’s CT Training Squad 11-10 in a thrilling contest.
“I am so happy and excited,” captain Ivan Chen See-yu said, and called the result “unexpected” given the team’s short time playing together.
The 15-year-old dismissed the weather as just another obstacle to overcome.