Template:Chinese name
Lee Wai Sze, BBS, MH[2] (Chinese: 李慧詩; Jyutping: lei5 wai6 si1; born 12 May 1987) also known as Sarah Lee, is a Hong Kong professional racing cyclist. She specialises in track cycling especially as a sprinter.[1]
Her greatest success to date is winning the bronze medal in the women's keirin at the 2012 London Olympics, Hong Kong's third-ever Olympic medal and first in cycling.
Lee was born on 12 May 1987 in Kowloon, Hong Kong.[1] She grew up in a poor family in Ngau Tau Kok, sharing a 200-square-foot public flat with her parents and two older siblings.[3] Lee attended two schools in the locality, Bishop Paschang Catholic School and Leung Shek Chee College.[4]
Although born with anemia,[5] Lee represented her school in athletics in 100 and 400 metre dash.[6][7] At Form 3, her school recommended her to the Hong Kong Sports Institute and her talent was spotted by the Hong Kong Cycling Association.[6][7]
Lee became a full-time athlete in 2004.[6][7] Initially trained as a road cyclist, Lee was in danger of bowing out of cycling after a serious accident in 2006 as she swerved to avoid a stray dog during training, where she suffered a broken left scaphoid bone.[8] Lee is coached by Jinkang Shen,[1] who has also coached other successful Hong Kong cyclist including Kam-Po Wong.[9]
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]
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] After the gold, Lee beat Guo Shuang of China in Women's Sprint and won a bronze medal, securing her second medal in Minsk.
Lee's idol is Great Britain's six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy.[30]
Lee is a Baptist Christian.[31] In 2009, she enrolled on a distance-learning course to study theology with the New York Theological Education Center Chinese Online School of Theology.[32][33]