Hong Kong's triple world track cycling champion Sarah Lee Wai-sze is rumoured to have retired aged 35 ©Getty Images

Hong Kong’s double Olympic bronze medallist and three-time world champion cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze looks destined not to appear at this year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou as she is no longer on the national list of elite athletes.

There are strong suggestions that the 35-year-old Olympian - who won bronze in the keirin at the London 2012 Olympics and finished third in the women’s sprint at Tokyo 2020 - has decided to retire.

Lee, whose international career took off when she won the Asian Games title in 2010, has not confirmed her retirement, but sources say her decision not to have any races on her current calendar and her wish to focus on her degree at Baptist University pointed to the end of a glittering career.

"She wants to keep a low profile of her future but definitely not to continue her sporting career," a source told scmp.com.

"She once said she would like to compete in the Asian Games in Hangzhou this summer, but as you can see she has a blank competition list for almost 10 months which tells you her intention."

Hong Kong's three-time world track cycling champion Sarah Lee Wai-sze, pictured after winning the sprint at the 2014 Asian Games, is said to have retired ahead of this year's Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in China ©Getty Images
Hong Kong's three-time world track cycling champion Sarah Lee Wai-sze, pictured after winning the sprint at the 2014 Asian Games, is said to have retired ahead of this year's Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in China ©Getty Images

Lee has reportedly considered becoming a coach, and a source close to the Cycling Association said she had been working with some of the young riders in the Hong Kong team.

"We think she will continue in the field most likely as a coach, especially as head coach Shen Jinkang is going to retire after the Hangzhou Asian Games," the source added.

While cycling officials are not required to submit their squad for Hangzhou 2022, rescheduled from September 23 to October 8, to the city’s Olympic Committee until the end of this month, with revisions possible until July, the source said that without training Lee would be in no form to compete.

After winning her second Olympic bronze medal in Japan in 2021, Lee only competed twice last year in the Nations Cup in Colombia and the Japan Cup, both in July.

Since then she has been focusing on her studies and seldom attends training.

Once Lee officially retires she becomes eligible for HK$1 million (£102 million/$127 million/€115 million) in retirement money as an elite athlete who has served at least 12 years.

She won her first World Championship gold, also in the time trial, at the 2013 edition in Minsk and clinched a double gold, sprint and keirin, at the 2019 Worlds in Poland.

In between, she won a double gold in the sprint and keirin at the Incheon 2014 Asian Games and successfully defended the two titles in Jakarta four years later.