Olympic heroes spread joy, laughter in Hong Kong, Macao

Visiting Team China's energy, positivity wow audiences at celebratory events

Long Daoyi's presence at the Macao East Asian Games Dome lit up the crowd in an instant.

With the mic clenched in one hand and the other moving to the beat, he shouted with confident swagger, "Dragon One on the stage now!"

His lyrics hit just as hard as the beat, his sneakers tapping in perfect rhythm, shoulders rolling, head bobbing — every move owning the moment.

But here was something that made this rapper stand out from the rest — he wasn't dressed in the usual streetwear. Instead, he was proudly sporting Team China's Olympic uniform.

Fresh from winning gold with Wang Zongyuan in the men's synchronized 3-meter springboard event at Paris 2024, Long was there to make a splash in a different way.

The gala event where Long performed was in Macao on Sept 1. It was one of the stops made by 65 mainland Olympians — including 59 gold medalists from the Paris Olympic Games — to Hong Kong and Macao from Aug 29 to Sept 2.

The visits were part of a long-standing tradition of mainland Olympic medalists touring Hong Kong and Macao after the Summer Olympics to demonstrate the Olympic spirit and engage with local communities.

Over 4,200 tickets for the gala were given to Macao residents through a lottery system.

Faced with such a large audience, Long said he was nervous but excited. "I'm honored to perform here, and I'm thankful for the chance to show who I am," he said.

Men of many talents

Long, who loves singing and rapping, has posted five singles on the NetEase Cloud music platform under his stage name, Dragon One. He wrote two of the songs himself.

"Singing helps me relax after training," he said.

Long bought some recording equipment, recorded the songs in his dorm, did some basic editing, and then uploaded them to the platform.

In July, he released an original rap song in which he expressed his determination to win gold at the Paris Olympics, with lyrics like "I'll wear the gold medal like a gold chain."

On Aug 2, that dream became a reality for the 21-year-old Olympic debutant when he stood atop the podium with his teammate Wang.

"Even though we've dedicated most of our time and effort to training with the goal of bringing honor to our country, we can still be versatile," Long said.

"I want to show that Team China members aren't just outstanding in our sports but also possess a variety of other skills. At this gala, a few of us had the opportunity to showcase those talents, but many more of our teammates have hidden abilities and a different side beyond the competition field," he said.

During the gala, many Olympians displayed their other talents: rhythmic gymnasts and synchronized swimmers performed dance routines, while swimmers, weightlifters, canoeists and hockey players sang popular songs.

China's Olympic and world champion table tennis player Fan Zhendong gave a cappella performance of a Cantonese song by Hong Kong singer-actress Miriam Yeung.

That night, Yeung shared the video of Fan's performance on Sina Weibo, praised his singing, and expressed interest in singing with him someday. She also invited Fan to watch her perform during her current tour if he has the time.

At the Paris Olympics, Fan, who rose to fame at a young age, secured the men's singles table tennis title.

At 27, he has completed his "Grand Slam "by winning the World Championship, World Cup and the Olympic titles.