HONG KONG’S STAR CYCLIST SARAH LEE SET FOR SPORTS INSTITUTE COACHING ROLE, SIGNALLING OFFICIAL END OF PROFESSIONAL CAREER

Two-time Olympic medallist will join the elite training centre as a sprint coach in July, source says
Lee, 36, has not trained or raced for almost a year, having last competed at the 2022 Japan Cup

The questions surrounding the future of two-time Olympic medallist Sarah Lee Wai-sze appear to have been answered, with the star track cyclist set to join the Hong Kong Sports Institute as a sprint coach ahead of the Hangzhou Asian Games.

A source told the Post that Lee would become part of the coaching set up at the elite training centre in Fo Tan once she has acquired the necessary qualification, which is expected to be next month.

"She will join the Institute as a coach in July at the earliest," the source said. "This has been agreed, we are just waiting for her qualification.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

"She has plenty of knowledge as a world-class athlete. Her experience at the top level is also second to none and she can help many of Hong Kong's track cyclists as a coach."

The Cycling Association will provide Lee with the courses she needs to meet all of the requirements as a Level II coach before joining the Sports Institute, the source added.

Lee, who turned 36 in May, has not competed for almost a year after racing in the Japan Cup last summer.

She was seen at last weekend's Hong Kong International Track Cup at the Tseung Kwan O Velodrome speaking to overseas riders Azizulhasni Awang of Malaysia, and South Korea's Lee Hye-jin.

Lee herself declined to discuss the plan at this stage, saying only that nothing had been confirmed when asked by the Post about her future, while the Institute said she has not been on their list of scholarship athletes since April 1, and nor is she a staff member, and therefore preferred not to make any comment either.

Head coach Shen Jinkang hinted after the three-day International Cup that Lee could still attend the Asian Games this summer - but did not specify what role she might play.

With no proper training or competitions recently to prove her standard, the Cycling Association will not nominate Lee as one of their athletes for the Games.

Lee first came to prominence at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou where she won a 500-metre time trial gold medal as a 23-year-old. Two years later, she won her first Olympic medal in London, finishing third in the keirin.

At the 2020 Tokyo Games, Lee won her second Olympic medal, this time in the sprint after beating pre-race favourite Emma Hinze of Germany in the bronze medal playoff.

Lee will also graduate from Baptist University this summer after finishing her degree in creative and professional writing.

Several top-class Hong Kong athletes have enjoyed success after switching to coaching at the end of their sporting careers.

Former Olympic medallist Li Ching, who won a table tennis men's doubles silver with partner Ko Lai-chak at the 2004 Athens Games, is now the women's team coach. His charges - Doo Hoi-kem, Lee Ho-ching and Minnie Soo Wai-yam - captured a bronze medal in Tokyo.

Windsurfer Chan King-yin won an Asian Games gold medal at both the 2006 edition in Doha, and 2010 in Guangzhou, before switching to coaching in 2011. He became the windsurfing head coach in 2015 and led Hong Kong to three silver medals at the 2018 Asian Games.

However three-time Asian Games road race gold medallist Wong Kam-po did not taste much success after becoming a cycling coach. He quit his coaching job at the Sports Institute in 2017 and is now running a bicycle equipment shop.