Olympic medalists Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi said on Friday that they are fascinated by just about everything in Hong Kong, from har gau — shrimp dumplings — to its international connectivity and even the career paths available for athletes.

After clinching the nation’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in artistic swimming in Paris, the twin swimmers began their PhD programs at the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK)in September.

At a sharing session on Friday afternoon, the two sisters told over 100 EdUHK teachers and students that Hong Kong’s international position and its developing sports industry attracted them to pursue doctoral degrees in the city.

READ MORE: Twin sisters win China's first gold in worlds artistic swimming

The pair’s link with Hong Kong dates back many years. “The first open tournament we attended when we were kids was one held in Hong Kong and Macao,” they recalled.

Liuyi said that she always met Hong Kong’s artistic swimming squad at global championships, and they imparted Hong Kong’s dedication to supporting sports development.

The city is also close to their hometown – Shenzhen, they added.

By studying at EdUHK, the siblings hope to enhance their English skills and pave the way for careers on the global stage, perhaps as referees at international sports contests, they said.

They also expressed excitement at enjoying an enriched studying life and exploring delicacies in the city. “Dim sum is our favorite, particularly har gau,” said Liuyi.

Born in Shenzhen, Guangdong province in 1997, the sisters completed their undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Beijing Sport University.

The twins’ artistic swimming career had not always run smoothly. Five years ago, injury and illness hindered Liuyi from competing in the Tokyo Olympics. Only Qianyi joined the national team and won a silver medal in the women’s team competition.

Liuyi said she had proposed to retire during the Tokyo Olympics, and it was Qianyi’s encouragement that inspired her to keep going.

“Qianyi said that although she stood on the podium at that time, she felt a little disappointed that I was not beside her. So I determined that we would definitely participate at the Paris Olympics together,” Liuyi said.

In Paris, the twins helped the Chinese national team clinched gold in the women’s artistic swimming event, and won themselves two gold medals in the women’s duet competition.

READ MORE: Aquatics: Chinese artistic swim sister duo bags back-to-back golds

Talking about their Olympic honors, they said the games not only marked a personal breakthrough, but also a milestone for the nation’s artistic swimming, and they want to share their experiences and insights with more junior athletes.

The technologies they use during training have also sparked their interest in the development of sports technology, an area that they would also like to explore at the university, they said.

The twins added that they will strike a good balance between training and studying in the future, hoping to visit the campus as frequently as possible.

Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com