Hong Kong, China short track speed skater Kwok Tsz-fung on Tuesday stumbled out of the Winter Olympics after coming up short at the qualifiers at Milano-Cortina.

Kwok finished third last among 30 entrants who managed to set a time at the heat of the men's 1,000m at Milano Ice Skating Arena.

The 21-year-old came back in 1:27.237, compared to the fastest time of 1:23.828, set by Canada's Felix Roussel.

Only the top two finishers in each of the eight groups, plus the four fastest remaining contestants, advanced to the quarter-finals.

Kwok is one of four SAR athletes competing in Italy, along with fellow speed skater Joey Lam, as well as alpine skiers Adrian Yung and Eloise King.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics run until February 22, featuring 16 sports and about 2,900 athletes from more than 90 countries and regions.