Hong Kong Jump Rope Team Dominates UJR World Cup with Record Haul
On.cc · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago6 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong's jump rope team returned as heroes from the UJR 2026 World Jump Rope Open Championships and World Cup held in Xi'an, China, having amassed a staggering 150 medals—49 gold, 46 silver, and 55 bronze—against elite international competition . The 151-member delegation, competing against athletes from 17 countries and regions across more than 70 teams, showcased the territory's status as a regional powerhouse in the sport . Team captain So Yeong-yi (蘇泳而) emerged as the standout performer, clinching six gold medals alongside three silver and four bronze for a total of 13 individual medals, while teammate Qi Benxi (戚本熹) earned five golds as the top male competitor . The squad's strategic tactics in the men's individual freestyle event proved particularly effective, with Zhu Junxi (朱浚熙) pulling off a tactical victory against the heavily-favoured American Ryan Rogers before narrowly missing gold in the final . The event was organized by the Universal Jump Rope Federation (UJR), co-founded by the Hong Kong Jump Rope Sports Federation, whose chairman Leung Kin Cheung (梁健璋) emphasised the importance of industrialising the sport for sustainable development .
Key Points
- Hong Kong fielded 151 athletes at the UJR 2026 World Jump Rope Championships in Xi'an, competing against over 700 jumpers from 17 countries and regions
- So Yeong-yi (蘇泳而) achieved an extraordinary 13-medal haul with 6 golds, 3 silvers, and 4 bronzes to be crowned women's medal queen
- Qi Benxi (戚本熹) dominated the men's division with 5 golds, 3 silvers, and 3 bronzes for a total of 11 medals
- Team captain So credited intensive year-long training and expressed gratitude to coaches and teammates for the achievement
- In the men's individual freestyle, Zhu Junxi (朱浚熙) executed a tactical rotation with Yang Jiangquan (楊江泉) to upset American Ryan Rogers 123-115 before settling for silver after a 123-126 loss to South Korean Park Hanjie
Why It Matters
The team's unprecedented success demonstrates Hong Kong's ability to compete at the pinnacle of an international sport that has gained significant global traction, validating years of systematic athlete development programmes . The chairman's vision for industrialising jump rope highlights a pathway for creating specialised employment within the sports sector, potentially transforming competitive jumping into a sustainable career avenue for young athletes in Hong Kong .
The team's unprecedented success demonstrates Hong Kong's ability to compete at the pinnacle of an international sport that has gained significant global traction, validating years of systematic athlete development programmes . The chairman's vision for industrialising jump rope highlights a pathway for creating specialised employment within the sports sector, potentially transforming competitive jumping into a sustainable career avenue for young athletes in Hong Kong .