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Organised by the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI), the Sports for Hope Foundation (SFHF) Outstanding Junior Athlete Awards (OJAA) presentation ceremony for the 2^nd quarter of 2014 was held today at the HKSI to reward 14 junior athletes for their distinguished performance in this quarter.

Officiating guests included Ms Margaret Siu, Director of High Performance Management of the HKSI; Mr Ronnie Wong JP, Hon. Deputy Secretary General of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC); Mr Raymond Chiu, Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Press Association (HKSPA) and Miss Marie-Christine Lee, founder of the SFHF.

The recipients this quarter include Yonny Chung and Yeung Shing-choi (badminton), Leung Ka-yu (cycling), Yuen Moon (kart), Ho Tze-lok and Lui Hiu-lam (squash), Ho Kwan-kit and Li Hon-ming (table tennis), Lam Ching, Anthony Jackie Tang and Wong Hong-kit (tennis), Hung Cheuk-yi and Wong Hui-wai (triathlon), and Nikki Tang (athletics – Hong Kong Sports Association for the Mentally Handicapped).

With her outstanding performance at the 21^st Asian Junior Individual Championships 2014, the squash player Ho Tze-lok received the Award for the fifth time in this quarter. Ho expressed her gratitude on the support from her family, coaches, the HKSI and the sponsor. Although this was her fifth title, she was still very excited for her effort being paid off again.

The cyclist Leung Ka-yu was very delighted to receive his first-ever Award and recalled, “I was eager to compete in the international sporting arena after joining the cycling team, and turned out to wait for two years until 2010 representing Hong Kong at the China National Youth Championships.” Nevertheless, he was rewarded by good results. “I was most excited to compete on behalf of Hong Kong as I had always been longing for this. I did not expect that I could win a gold and a silver medal.” He impressed the judges with his remarkable achievement at the 21^st Asian Youth Cycling Championships in May, where he grabbed his first Asian title in the men’s point race event.

For triathlete Wong Hui-wai, what happened in Kazakhstan was memorable. Wong said, “I had my last Junior Asian Championships in June and I had set a high expectation for myself. But the stress affected my performance right at the beginning of the contest, luckily I picked up well in the cycling section and had a steady performance in running. I finally brought home a silver medal, which was a perfect ending for my junior sporting life.” He thought the Award was a big shot in the arm for junior athletes, since it proved that the effort they made was not in vain. Besides, the awardees could improve their equipments with the availability of cash incentive.

Hung Cheuk-yi, another awarded triathlete, had also delivered great performances at the Junior Asian Championships in Kazakhstan and gained the qualification to participate in the Youth Olympic Games. “We were having training at the lake and the water which was just at about 12°C, in addition to the fierce waves, we all went through a hard time. Nevertheless, all team members kept cheering for each other. This was definitely the most valuable experience for me,” she shared.

Both badminton partners Yonny Chung and Yeung Shing-choi expressed that their most unforgettable events took place in March this year at the German Junior 2014. At the beginning, their team led the competition and victory was just one step ahead, but unfortunately their rivals took over the game at later stage and finally won. In face of this challenge, they did not give up and had enhanced their training. One month later, they defeated 58 pairs of opponents and secured a fifth place at the World Junior Championships 2014.

The 11-year-old kart driver Yuen Moon was thrilled to receive his first-ever Award. When he was just a little boy, he followed his father to watch the Macau Grand Prix very often, where he started falling in love with the sport. Yuen began his formal kart training two years ago and has set his goal to be as successful as the German World Champion Michael Schumacher, since he was impressed by Schumacher’s stamina in pursuing excellence.

In addition, Chun Chi-sing, Koo Yue-kwan, Lau Kin-hei and Lee Hong-kit (athletics), and Yam Kwok-fan (athletics – Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled) were awarded Certificate of Merit for this quarter.

Organised by the HKSI and sponsored by the Sports for Hope Foundation since 2012, with support from the SF&OC and the HKSPA, the OJAA recognises the achievements of outstanding local junior athletes under the age of 19 on a quarterly basis. Each recipient is presented with a cash prize of HK$2,500, a voucher worth HK$2,500 and a certificate.

Awardees’ Achievements in the 2^nd Quarter (PDF)