"She has shown that her competence and determination have passed the test of time, and she has become a Hong Kong legend with her brilliant results. All Hong Kong people are overjoyed at her achievements," Lam said.

Lee is a two-time world champion (2013, 2019), and has collected golds at the Asian Games across multiple disciplines, in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

Summing up the Hong Kong team's impressive performance at the Tokyo Games, Lam said many of the city's athletes had recorded personal bests, and local residents were immensely proud of them.

She added that their success was due to their relentless efforts and the support of the local community, noting that the SAR government had allocated HK$737 million ($95 million) for the Hong Kong Sports Institute in the 2021-2022 financial year－up about 42 percent from 2017-2018.

Lam hopes their historic performance can inject fresh momentum into the development of sports in Hong Kong, with more support from both commercial enterprises and residents.

In the short term, Hong Kong will participate in China's 14th National Games in Shaanxi province, beginning in September.

Following the Tokyo Olympics, a number of Hong Kong athletes headed to the Chinese mainland to prepare for the National Games.

Hong Kong's dazzling performance at Tokyo 2020 has fueled local residents' enthusiasm for sports and inspired young athletes to emulate the Olympians' feats.