28 July 1996

Lai Shan LEE (HKG) won the Women’s Mistral event at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games to record the first ever Olympic gold medal for Hong Kong, and the first ever sailing gold for Asia.

Twenty-five year old LEE, known as the ‘Windsurfing Queen’, secured the gold medal for Hong Kong with a race to spare in Savannah, beating defending champion Barbara KENDALL (NZL) to the top spot on the podium. Having first competed at the 1952 Games, Hong Kong had their first ever Olympic Champion and Asia, its first sailing gold medal.

LEE, from Cheung Chau, a small island 10 km southwest of Hong Kong Island, had begun windsurfing at the age of 12 and started racing a year later. By the time she was 17 she was competing regularly and two years later was racing for the Hong Kong team. When the Women’s Windsurfer event made its debut at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, LEE came in 11th on the Lechner.

Following the switch to the Mistral board after the Barcelona Games, LEE’s career flourished with victory at the 1993 Worlds followed by podium places in both 1995 and 1996. She arrived in Savannah as one of the leading contenders for the 1996 Games, although it was reigning Olympic Champion and 2005 Pre-Olympics winner KENDALL, who was the board to beat on Wassaw Sound.

In the opening exchanges Italy’s Alessandra SENSINI (ITA) also caught the eye, posting bullets the first and second days of racing. KENDALL also started well, but neither the New Zealander nor Italian could match the consistency of LEE whose 3,2,2,2 start gave her the early lead.

Following on from her strong opening LEE never looked back as she continued to reel out low scores one after another. A fourth place in race 5 gave her a three-point lead over KENDALL at the halfway stage. Scores of 2,7 on the following day brought the gold medal even closer, as KENDALL and SENSINI were unable to match the relentless consistency of their rival.

The penultimate day of racing for the Mistral fleet began in light winds, and just one race was completed. Such was her consistency and with two drops to count in the overall score, LEE was within touching distance of the Olympic gold medal despite there still being one day of racing to come. She went on to win in style, taking race 8 to record her first bullet of the series and become the 1996 Olympic Champion.

Her victory made her a hero in Hong Kong as the first ever Olympic gold medal winner for her nation, and she became an icon and an inspiration to a generation of windsurfers in Hong Kong and across Asia. Her win also earned her the honour of being named 1996 ISAF World Sailor of the Year.

Where Are They Now

LEE went on to win the Mistral Worlds the following year, and then the Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand in 1998. Another World title followed in 2001, along with wins at major continental and ISAF Graded events. LEE competed at both the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games, finishing in sixth and fourth place respectively. She was again nominated for the ISAF World Sailor of the Year Award in 2001.

She has actively helped develop sports in Hong Kong and remains a windsurfing legend in her nation, across Asia and the world.

ISAF In 1996

On 5 August 1996, the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU) changed its name to the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).

At the 1996 ISAF Annual Conference in November, the 49er skiff was chosen as Olympic equipment for the first time. New ground was also broken in the world of youth sailing, as Newport, USA hosted the ISAF Youth Worlds, with the 40 nation barrier broken for the first time.