A scintillating burst to clinch a silver medal in the keirin
event on Sunday gave fans a taster of things to come from the
24-year-old, who also won bronze in the individual sprint by
beating Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton of Britain.

Having flown past keirin world champion Anna Meares of
Australia, Lee said she was amazed at her medal-winning antics,
which she described as her best yet, and hopes she can put in a
repeat performance come the Olympics in August.

“There are many strong riders here, so to get a
medal…unbelievable. I have a chance at the Olympics, a little
more practice,” Lee, puffing heavily, told Reuters at the venue
that will host 10 Olympic medal events between Aug. 2-7.

“I hope I can win against all the women and be world
champion too,” she added in reference to the world championships
in Melbourne from April 4-8.

Home favourite Meares, who survived a career-threatening
crash in 2008 when she was millimetres from needing a respirator
to breathe for the rest of her life, will provide stern
opposition for Lee at the worlds.

The 28-year-old former Olympic champion had some words of
advice for Lee however. Stick around.

“This is a sport that is very responsive to age and time.
It’s not a sport where you have strength, speed, power,
experience and the ability to be able to fly down the track,”
said Meares.

“It takes time, and if you stick around the sport long
enough you’re going to be able to see those improvements
consistently roll throughout your career.

“I think she’s one to be watched,” she said of Lee, who
trains in China and in 2011 won medals at the World Cup in the
non-Olympic 500-metre time trial and also finished fifth in the
same event at the world championships.

At the Beijing Olympics, only Guo Shuang of China in the
women’s individual sprint and Japan’s Kiyofumi Nagai in the
men’s keirin managed bronze medals for Asian countries, so Lee
faces a battle to put Hong Kong on the cycling map.

All she cares about for now, however, is getting tips off
her “idol”, Britain’s four-times Olympic champion Chris Hoy.

“He’s very gentleman,” Lee said in halting English after
three hard days of competition, during which Hoy was back to his
blistering best by winning two events.

“He’s my idol. I hope I can speak with him. I love Chris Hoy
very much. No matter how far behind he gets he always catches
the riders.”

Hoy saw a lot of potential in Lee’s World Cup performances.

“I think she did an 11-second lap in the sprint, that’s
pretty impressive,” said Hoy, who clocked 71.8-kilometres an
hour during his keirin triumph on the lightning-quick track.

“That’s very nice if she’s a fan. I’d love to speak to her,
though I don’t want to give her too much advice if she’s racing
against Vicky (Pendleton). Maybe after the Olympics,” the Scot
grinned amid a media scrum.

(Editing by Alison Wildey; To comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
((tom.pilcher@thomsonreuters.com; +44 20 7542 7933; Reuters
Messaging: tom.pilcher.reuters.com@reuters.net)

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