Yam Yau (left) and Elvis Hsu (right) made history for Hong Kong by clinching a gold and a bronze medal in the Men's Mixed NOC 3-on-3 event at the Winter Youth Olympics. Local ice hockey players Yam Yau and Elvis Hsu Chuo-xi made history for the city on Wednesday by clinching a gold and a bronze medal in the Men's Mixed NOC 3-on-3 event at the 3rd Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The two Hong Kong representatives played for different teams that they were randomly assigned to, and joined forces with hockey prodigies from other countries and regions. Team Green, which Yau played for, defeated Team Red in the gold medal match with a score of 10-4, while Elvis' Team Brown captured bronze with a narrow victory of 6-5 over Team Black.
Chinese International School student Audrey King hits the slopes at the Winter Youth Olympic Games
In a phone interview with Young Post, Yau said he was thrilled to have won the first-ever Winter Youth Olympics gold medal for the city. The 14-year-old described the champion team as a “dream team”, because all the players were very skillful and friendly, and they had bonded well in the tournament.
“It felt like a dream come true to have won a Youth Olympics gold medal. I believe Hongkongers are certainly very proud,” Yau said.
Bronze medalist Elvis on the other hand thought his team was not the top dog, but they had displayed exceptional energy and motivation throughout the entire tournament. The 15-year-old believed the bronze medal is a testimony of his hard work, and he hoped it will prove to other Hong Kong teens that they too, should dare to dream big.
“This bronze medal has become one of my single prized possessions. Whenever I look at it, it brings me joy,” Elvis said. “I believe this medal can inspire the youth of Hong Kong, that someone as young as me, is able to achieve one of their dreams of being an Olympic medalist.”
Following their success at the Youth Games, the teenage players are off to their next stop - Japan, to join a training camp in preparation for the upcoming National Winter Games to be held in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region next month.