Lee Wai Sze

Lee captured the attention of Hong Kong when she won gold at the 500-meter time trial track cycling event at the 2010 Asian Games,[10] in which she broke the Asian Record in winning the championship with a time of 33.945 s.[11] Lee also won a bronze in the sprint event.[12] In December 2010, Lee improved her Asian Record in 500-meter time trial with a time of 33.939 s in the 2010 Melbourne Track Cycling World Cup.[13] Lee's performance has impressed the cycling hierarchy, and she received the Hong Kong Potential Sports Stars Awards for 2010.[14] She has also received the Medal of Honour from the Hong Kong Government in 2011 for her outstanding achievements in international cycling competitions.[2]

In February 2012 at the 2012 London Track Cycling World Cup, Lee upset Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton to win a bronze medal in the sprint event at the London Velodrome. She beat Pendleton 2–1 after losing to eventual champion Guo Shuang of China in the semi-finals.[15] Lee also won a silver in the keirin final. The Union Cycliste Internationale described 24-year-old Lee as "a late revelation in the sprint events" after she claimed her second medal.[16]

Lee was chosen as the flag bearer of the Hong Kong Olympic Representatives for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[17][18] She won the bronze medal in women's keirin.[19] Lee's bronze medal feat handed Hong Kong their first ever Olympic medal in cycling, and only their third overall.[20][21] Lee also participated in the women's sprint event although she did not progress through the 1/8 Finals after losing to Cuba's Lisandra Guerra. Lee eventually finished at the 10th place.[22] Lee received HK$ 750k from the Hang Seng Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme for her achievement in the Games.[23] In an interview with Ming Pao, Lee said she hoped her achievement in the London Olympics can inspire a new generation of Hong Kong athletes for the 2016 Olympic Games.[24] She loved cycling but she is going to retire soon.

After the Olympics, Lee had a perfect start in the 2012–13 World Cup opening series with a gold medal in the women's sprint in Cali, Colombia, which is her first victory in a World Cup event.[25] This is followed by a bronze in women's keirin in the second leg, which was held in Glasgow, Scotland.[26] Lee won her first medal in 2013 by coming third in the women's sprint event in the third leg of the 2012–13 World Cup series.[27]

In February 2013, Lee carried on her good form and won gold in the women's 500m time-trial at the World Track Championships in Belarus.[28][29] She became the first female and third overall athlete from Hong Kong to wear rainbow jersey. After the gold, Lee beat Guo Shuang of China in Women's Sprint and won a bronze medal, securing her second medal in Minsk. This is the first time any HK athlete won multiple medals at a World Championship event.