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At the prize presentation ceremony for the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) Outstanding Junior Athlete Awards held at the HKSI today (Wednesday), rowers Leung Chung-ming, Chu Ka-ming and To Yuk-ting, and mentally handicapped table tennis player Yeung Chi-ka were named winners of the Awards for the fourth quarter of 2007 among 16 up-and-coming nominees, in recognition of their outstanding performance. The Awards presentation ceremony was followed by an annual celebration to conclude the Scheme in 2007. The officiating guests included Dr Trisha Leahy, Chief Executive of the HKSI, Tony Yue, Vice President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) and Chu Hoi-kun, Executive Committee Chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Press Association (HKSPA). They joined hands to officiate a simple ceremony to offer the young athletes their best blessing for the year 2008 by the slogan "Excel Yourself, Pursue Excellence", which also symbolised that the scheme will step into a new year. Some Award winners in 2007 also autographed on the signing board and Dr Leahy presented a commemorative certificate to both organisations for their ardent support of the scheme over the past years.

Among the four Award winners, three athletes come from Rowing. Rower Leung Chung-ming teamed up with Chu Ka-ming, to win not only a bronze medal in the junior men double sculls in the 13^th Asian Junior Rowing Championships last October, but also the Outstanding Junior Athlete Awards. Leung was first discovered in the Searching for the New Sport Stars programme in 2002, and became a member of the Hong Kong junior squad in the following year. He recalled the 13^th Asian Junior Rowing Championships with fond memories and said, "Our team ranked last at the beginning, but with our persistence and effort, we managed to grab a bronze medal at last." He added, "This award is a recognition to my performance and certainly encourages me to work even harder." Leung wishes to participate in the East Asian Games in 2009 and the Asian Games in 2010.

19-year-old rower Chu Ka-ming was also very excited of winning the Outstanding Junior Athlete Awards, saying, "I am flattered by the honour. I want to thank my family and my coach for their continuous support," said Chu. He sees Asian Games bronze medallist Law Hiu-fung as his role model. "Law proves that Asian athletes have the ability to challenge medals in the world sporting arena. In the near future I hope I can represent Hong Kong to compete in the Major Games and win medals for Hong Kong."

Besides Leung & Chu, another rower To Yuk-ting also earned the title. She first started the sport in a school promotion programme in 2001, and has been enthusiastic in playing the sport since then. She snatched a silver medal in the junior women single sculls in the 13^th Asian Junior Rowing Championships held in Korea last October. To was very happy to earn the Outstanding Junior Athlete title and promised to keep up with the good work by learning the experiences from senior rowers and other athletes, because she believes this is the only way to keep herself in progress.

The fourth winner is 19-year-old Yeung Chi-ka who has won her Outstanding Junior Athlete title for the third time, after winning a gold medal in the women's team, a silver medal in the women's singles and a bronze medal in the women's doubles in the 5^th INAS-FID World Table Tennis Championships 2007. The outstanding achievements made her ranking climb from 17 to 2, second to her teammate Lai Wai-ling. Yeung was satisfied with her performance at the competition and it has become one of the most memorable events in her sporting career. "I'm very happy to be a third-time winner. The Award is definitely a very good morale booster that encourages me to improve and strike for better performance. I also hope that I can be a table tennis coach in the future," said the winner of the fourth quarters in 2005 and 2006.

Each of the Award winners received a cash prize of HK$2,500, a sports gears voucher worth HK$2,500 and a certificate. In addition, runner Leung Ki-ho, equestrian athlete Lai Jing-man and shooting athlete Li Mei-wun were each presented a certificate of merit to recognise their outstanding performance.

Organised by the HKSI with the support from the SF&OC and the HKSPA, the Awards scheme aims to recognise the achievement of local junior athletes under the age of 19 on a quarterly basis.