Hong Kong’s Au Ho-chun claimed a bronze medal in the men’s 1,500m at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, securing the city’s first podium of the competition.
The 16-year-old clocked four minutes 5.09 seconds to finish third, behind Sri Lanka’s gold medallist Achintha Lahiru, who broke the youth games record with a time of 3:57.42, and China’s Sha Lihua, who took silver in 3:58.73.
According to World Athletics, Au took more than a second off his previous personal best of 4:06.99, set in June.
Philip Mok, the Hong Kong delegation’s chef de mission, said the result reflected the “the perseverance and exceptional potential of our young athletes”.
“Au Ho-chun gave his all in the competition and distinguished himself in the intense race with his determination, bringing home the bronze medal and the first medal for Hong Kong,” Mok added. “We look forward to seeing them continue to perform at their best in the upcoming events and deliver more outstanding results.”
In a Facebook post celebrating their colleague’s achievement, Au’s running club said the excellent result, “built on experience gained from past competitions and intensive training with his coach”.
