Eugenie's road to the World Youth Championships
The 2026 World Youth Karate Championships took place over five days in Bielsko-Biała, Poland. 15-year-old Eugenie won bronze in Cadet Female Kata, Hong Kong's first-ever medal at the World Youth Karate Championships.
No Hong Kong athlete had ever reached the podium at the World Youth Karate Championships. Competing in Cadet Female Kata, Eugenie had a first-round bye, then beat opponents from Vietnam, Italy and Armenia to reach the semi-finals. In the semi-final she performed Kishimoto no Kusanku, but lost 5:0 to Spain's Candela Peña García, who performed Chatanyara Kusanku. Eugenie then won the bronze-medal bout with Chibana No Kushanku against her Algerian opponent.
Eugenie started karate in primary school and gradually turned her interest into professional training. A student at Lam Tai Fai College, she became a full-time athlete in September 2025.
As of October 2026, Eugenie is ranked third in the World Karate Federation (WKF) world ranking for Cadet Female Kata.
After the competition, Eugenie said: "The World Youth Championships are over. Finishing third makes me really honoured. After preparing for so long, it finally proved it was worth it. Compared with previous competitions, I felt much calmer this time and clearer about which techniques I needed to get right. I was really nervous when the result came in, especially when the second and fourth flags went up, because it could have gone either way. My heart almost stopped. Thank you to Coach Lau Chi Ming, Coach Grace, all the coaches at the Sports Institute and the team coaches for their guidance and support. I will keep working hard for Hong Kong."
Coach Lau Chi Ming said: "Seeing my own student make history for Hong Kong at a world championship moves me deeply... After retiring as an athlete and becoming a coach, I hoped to contribute to Hong Kong karate in a different way, and now we have taken the first step." With Eugenie about to turn 16 and move up to the senior category, they will set new goals together for the challenges ahead.
Lau Mo Sheung (Grace), attending in Poland as a member of the Athletes' Commission, witnessed her "little sister" Eugenie win the medal. Recalling her own first appearance 15 years ago, when she lost the bronze-medal bout 2:3 and finished fifth, she said: "For years I have hoped to see a Hong Kong athlete win a medal in kata or kumite. Seeing this dream come true truly warms my heart."
She also praised Eugenie's hard work: "I have seen her dedication with my own eyes. Even with the time difference between Hong Kong and the US for online training, she was willing to stay at the dojo training until 1am. Witnessing determination and hard work lead to this beautiful moment is truly inspiring."
Eugenie added: "This isn't the end. It's a new beginning."
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