‘Stressed’ Hongkonger Ceci Lee finishes outside medals on World Cup opening day
City’s star rider fails to add to three-medal haul from 2026 World Cup after sleepless nights following painful crash last week
A “stressed” and sleep-deprived Ceci Lee Sze-wing failed to add to her three-medal 2026 UCI Track World Cup collection on Friday, coming home seventh in the elimination race on the opening day of the final leg in Malaysia.
The 24-year-old claimed bronze from the same discipline in last month’s opening meeting in Perth, and again when Hong Kong staged leg two last week.
It is a measure of Lee’s mental and physical growth over the past two years that she was disappointed to be the 17th of 23 starters eliminated, as Anita Yvonne Stenberg repeated her winning performance in Hong Kong seven days ago.
“Before the start, she was really motivated but during the race when there was a lot of tension she didn’t deliver technically like she did last weekend,” said Herve Dagorne, the Hong Kong head coach.
“She confessed she was a little bit stressed, and that she was competing to not be eliminated; not to win.”
Lee’s preparations for the three-day competition in Nilai were compromised by a heavy fall on her home track during her ultimately doomed quest for omnium honours last Sunday.