Fencer Choi, jockey Ho among Hong Kong's Ten Outstanding Young Persons
Ryan Choi and Vincent Ho are among the Ten Outstanding Young Persons 2026. Choi overcame Olympic setbacks, Ho credited parental support, and physiotherapist Matthew Chan turned his life around after a criminal conviction.
Winners of Hong Kong's Ten Outstanding Young Persons Selection 2026 were announced on Tuesday, with top fencer Ryan Choi Chun-yin and champion jockey Vincent Ho Chak-yiu among the recipients. Under the theme, "Lead with Insight, Impact to Light," the awards recognised young talent for making positive contributions across sport, public and social service, education and professional fields.
Speaking at the ceremony, Choi, the former world No. 1 in men's foil, said he had once considered quitting the sport after a disappointing Tokyo 2020 Olympics run and missing qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics by just one place. "I once felt all my efforts were meaningless," he said, crediting his coach's patience and his teammates' support with helping him understand that athletes cannot succeed alone. He said he came to terms with his own limits, learning to accept setbacks and ask for support. As the third Hong Kong foil fencer to win the award after Cheung Siu-lun and Edgar Cheung Ka-long, he said the honour reflected recognition, as well as motivation for the whole fencing team. He further called on the government to invest more in sports, including hiring on-site physiotherapists and coaches.
Ho, who won the 2023 International Jockeys' Championship, attributed his success to parents who defied social convention to support him. He recalled applying to become an apprentice jockey in Form 4 with his father's encouragement, going against the common expectation that children should attend university. Citing the discipline required of a jockey, he said the joy he found in the saddle kept him going through lonely stretches. Ho also spoke of his darkest period as an athlete, saying the Jockey Club, medical teams and others helped him push through — with legendary horse Golden Sixty playing a key role in his recovery.
Also among the honourees is Matthew Chan Hau-man, who turned his life around after a criminal conviction at 18 into a physiotherapist. He recalled being placed on a community service order for loitering, which left him with a criminal record. The "criminal record" box on job and school applications, he said, was like a chain he could never shake off. Yet, a social worker told him his record could be spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Ordinance — a moment he said jolted him awake. Despite failing his A-levels, he fought for a chance to repeat his studies, raised his grades by 15 levels across five subjects, studied sports science at university, then spent seven years earning physiotherapy degrees part-time. He now runs a sports physiotherapy and hydrotherapy center and takes part in volunteer clinics.
Other recipients included Phoebe Lam Pui-ying, a clinical assistant professor in paediatric dentistry; Lam Wing-kit, a haematology specialist; Wilson Lung, executive chairman of the Hong Kong Youth Exchange Promotion United Association; Yeung Yui-sheung, founder and head coach of the World Running Club; Tso Chi-yan, chair professor of Energy and Sustainability at City University of Hong Kong; and Chung King-man, a registered music therapist. In a statement, the Hong Kong Jockey Club congratulated Vincent Ho, with executive director of racing Andrew Harding saying the award was "particularly meaningful" as Ho is the first racing figure to receive it across the selection's 54 editions.
