Hong Kong athlete Grace Lau on Friday won her first gold medal in the women's kata event in the Asian Karate Federation Championships.

She beat three-time Asian champion Kiyou Shimizu of Japan with scores of 44.1 to 43.5 in Melaka, Malaysia.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kevin Yeung, extended his congratulations to the athlete.

"Lau has always performed well in international competitions," he said in a statement.

"We are very proud and delighted to witness Hong Kong's elite athletes reaching the top again."

Lau won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.