Hong Kong rower Chiu Hin-chun on Friday fought hard for the best rank he could get in the men’s single sculls at the Paris Olympic Games, despite dropping out of contention for a medal.

Chiu began in the second lane of the final group D race, where he was competing for the 19th to 24th place.

He started off second in the first 500 metres, before pulling himself to the front of the pack in the next 1,000 metres. But Quentin Antognelli of Monaco came from behind to overtake Chiu in the end with a time of 6 minutes and 54.93 seconds.

"Even though we were unable to get a medal, I hope this serves as motivation and inspiration for younger rowers," Chiu said.

"I want them to fight hard for their dreams and dream big, and we can have higher and faster results in future international events,” he added.

Chiu, who finished second out of six in his race with a time of 6 minutes and 56.65 seconds, ranked 20th overall.

He previously competed in the Rio Olympic Games, where he finished 19th in the lightweight double sculls.