World Games: Hong Kong’s drone medal ‘perfect conclusion’ to city’s best showing

Air sports exponent Kwan Chun-yan has finished between two world champions in the sport to win Hong Kong’s sixth and final medal at the World Games in Chengdu, in a performance described by the team chief as the “perfect conclusion” to the team’s efforts.

Kwan’s silver in the drone racing final on Saturday helped Hong Kong to their best performance at the multi-sport event, with three golds, two silvers and one bronze in Chengdu, through wushu (two golds, one silver), karate (one gold), air sports (one silver), and waterski and wakeboard (one bronze).

The previous best result was five medals – one gold and four bronze – at the 2022 Games in Birmingham, Alabama, in the U.S.

Kwan, 17, competed in an arduous series of nine races over two days, including three in the final on Saturday, to finish second behind Japan’s Yuki Hashimoto, the current world champion.

Hashimoto won two out of the three races in the final with a total time of one minute 28.337 seconds, while Kwan finished with a time of one minute 30.889 seconds. South Korea’s Kim Min-jae, the 2022 world champion, came in third.

Wong Po-kee, Hong Kong’s chef de mission, warmly congratulated 17-year-old Kwan and the air sports team.