A pursuit of perfection: the solitary road of kata

Full Article in Chinese

• Recipient, CityUHK 9th Distinguished Alumni Award
• Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Creative Media
• Hong Kong female karate athlete
• World No. 1 in women's individual kata
• 2025 World Karate Championships gold medalist
• 2025 and 2026 WKF Karate One Premier League Grand Winner
• 2025 World Games gold medalist
• Bronze medalist in women's individual kata at the 2020 Olympic Games

Grace describes individual kata as a solitary contest against oneself — a pursuit of technical and rhythmic perfection that has always captivated her. From winning the Olympic bronze medal in women’s kata at Tokyo 2020 to rising to world No. 1, capturing gold at the 2025 World Karatedo Championships, topping the WKF Karate One Premier League Grand Winner in both 2025 and 2026, and taking gold at the 2025 World Games, Grace has forged a career defined by relentless discipline, resilience and an appetite for self-improvement.

A City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) alumna with a Bachelor of Science in Creative Media, Grace entered CityUHK in 2012 through the Student Athletes Admission Scheme and was awarded the Dr Herman Hu Outstanding Sports Talents Scholarship. She says the financial and institutional support she received from her alma mater validated her athletic achievements and eased practical burdens, enabling her to concentrate on both training and competition while pursuing academic excellence. CityUHK’s flexibility in accommodating her training schedule was, she adds, essential in helping her strike a sustainable balance between sport and study.

Grace chose Creative Media because of a long-standing love of making and communicating through images and motion. “I was drawn to the way visual media combines technology and art,” she says. “Studying creative media gave me tools to explore different forms and express ideas and emotions.” The training she received in visual composition, light and rhythm did more than shape her artistic sensibility — it deepened her appreciation of spatial dynamics and timing in kata. After competitions she often turns to a sketchbook or short video projects as a way to process experiences and relieve pressure, using art as a personal outlet to reflect and recover.

One of the defining lessons of her university years came in the wake of a serious injury during an intercollegiate match. Though she and the CityUHK team managed to secure victory, Grace’s injury forced her to withdraw from the individual event after only two rounds and sent her to the emergency ward. In that difficult moment she recalls her coach’s words: “Be the best that we can be.” That phrase has become a guiding principle. “Whether on the mat or in life, when I face low points or the enormous pressure of international competition, I remind myself to focus on effort and performance — to do the best I can now,” she says.

Grace’s career has seen dazzling highs and testing lows: an Olympic bronze, world championship medals and a rise to world No. 1 — and this year she retained the WKF Karate One Premier League “Grand Winner” title after sweeping all four events, despite spells sidelined by injury. Asked to choose an object that best describes her sporting life, she picks a spring. “A spring can be compressed but it stores energy and bounces back,” she explains. “Pressure can be intense, but I try to adjust and recover so I can rise to the next challenge. That resilience — the ability to rebound — defines how I face setbacks and continue improving.”

Recognition from her alma mater has been particularly meaningful. In 2024 she was named an Honorary Fellow of CityUHK, and this year she received the University’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Grace says these honours are more than personal accolades; they are reminders of the responsibility she carries as an alumna to give back and to inspire. “I hope my story encourages current students — especially those juggling study and elite training — to keep persevering,” she says. “Get clear about your goals, stay determined, and keep working toward them.”

For students and young alumni navigating uncertain paths she offers a concise motto: “Embrace challenges, become yourself.” In her view, confronting difficulty is the gateway to growth. “No matter how big the obstacle or pressure, facing it head-on opens chances to realise potential. Keep challenging yourself and thinking creatively, and new possibilities will emerge.”

Her story — one of solitary practice, creative expression, and resilient recovery — speaks to the power of combining athletic ambition with artistic sensibility, and to the kind of steady self-discipline that turns personal struggle into international triumph.

（Published at 13 August 2026）