The nation’s inaugural Student (Youth) Games formally kicked off in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region yesterday, and local athlete Lancy Chen Pui Lam has won Macau’s first gold medal at the ongoing event, in the women’s 50m breaststroke, clocking up 31.62 seconds, according to a statement by the Sports Bureau (ID) on Saturday.
While the Games held their official opening ceremony last night, the competition began on Saturday. Chen, a Form 4 student at Sacred Heart Canossian College (English Section), won the gold medal on Saturday.
The 10-day multi-sport event, co-organised by the Ministry of Education, the State General Administration of Sports and the Communist Youth League (CYL), in conjunction with the People’s Government of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, will end at the Guangxi Sports Centre next Wednesday. The swimming events under the Open Category competitions were held on Saturday.
The statement said that Chen, who placed 10th in the women’s 50m breaststroke at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, once again broke Macau’s record in the women’s 50m breaststroke with a time of 31.64 seconds in the final, taking first place and winning the Games’ first gold medal for the local sports delegation. The statement added that Chen came fifth in the women’s 100m breaststroke in the Games’ open category and qualified for the final of the women’s 50m breaststroke with a time of 31.84 seconds on Saturday.
Attending the Games, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U on Saturday offered her “warm congratulations” on the first gold medal for Macau’s sports delegation, her “warm greetings” to the members for their dedication, as well as her gratitude to the team of coaches for their dedication in training the local athletes.
She pointed out in a statement on Saturday that young athletes are an important resource of sporting talents in Macau, adding that the local government has continuously invested resources and enhanced training facilities in order to support local athletes’ training programmes. Ao Ieong reaffirmed that the government has been, in combination with sports science features, promoting the professional development of competitive sport in Macau via systematic, professional and science-based training.
This undated handout photo provided by the Sports Bureau (ID) on Saturday shows local athlete Lancy Chen Pui Lam posing with her gold medal that she received from the women’s 50m breaststroke at the nation’s inaugural Student (Youth) Games, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
