Lydia Sham Asian Games success gave Hong Kong its first gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, when she won the women’s changquan routine with a score of 9.713, official results posted by the Asian Games organizers showed.
Lydia Sham Asian Games: how she took gold
The winner, Lydia Sham (沈曉榆), is 26 and a three-time Asian Games veteran, the Hong Kong delegation said. At this 2026 Asian Games appearance, Sham and her coaching staff changed strategy, dropping multi-event entries to focus exclusively on the long fist, or changquan, routine so she could polish every movement.
Sham performed later in the rotation, under intense attention from the crowd and the Hong Kong delegation. During a fluid routine, her aerial elements rose high and her landings remained steady, drawing praise from judges for blending forceful and expansive movements characteristic of changquan; the final margin was razor thin, with Macau competitor So Cho-man (蘇楚雯) trailing by 0.003 points.
“This is my third Asian Games; the losses before taught me to settle down,” Lydia Sham said, her voice breaking as she wiped away tears. “Before I went on, I told myself not to think about medals, just to show what I train every day. To win Hong Kong’s first gold here makes ten years as a full time athlete, all the sweat and injuries, worth it.”
Lydia Sham Asian Games reaction and reward
According to the Asian Games official scoreboard, Sham’s 9.713 was the highest mark in the field. The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Outstanding Athletes Reward Scheme will grant her a 1,000,000 HKD award, about approximately $127,500 (originally 1,000,000 HKD), the club told reporters.
Team officials and teammates congratulated Sham after the ceremony, saying her decision to specialize paid off. The victory also put Hong Kong on the medal board early in the Games and gave the delegation momentum heading into the rest of the program.
Official results posted by the Asian Games organizers listed Sham as the gold medalist in the women’s changquan routine, with So Cho-man of Macau taking silver. Event judges score routines on technique, difficulty, and presentation, and the narrow margin highlighted how closely matched the top competitors were.