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Carmen the queen of sports

CARMEN Lo Ka-man, the three-time Sports Girl of the Year in Tsuen Wan and Islands district, is probably the only secondary schoolgirl in the territory who knows how it feels to be loathed for being good at sport.

The talented badminton and table tennis player, who has more than 80 trophies and 100 medals under her belt, told Young Post that she once barely escaped being beating up by a bunch of furious opponents in the changing room after another success.

'I was a key player in an inter-district competition in which our district [Tuen Mun] won the championship. When I was changing in the room, some of the girls from other teams approached me and started swearing and scorning me for defeating their players.

'At one point they were so aggravated that I thought they were going to beat me up. Fortunately, I managed to flee before anything happened,' said the Form Seven student of Tsuen Wan Government Secondary School (TWGSS).

Her sports talents in badminton won her a place in the Hong Kong youth badminton team in which she delivered glory to the territory in a badminton tournament against Taipei.

In 1991 and 1993 she won the Tsuen Wan and Islands inter-school sports competition in badminton and table tennis. This gave her five consecutive years as badminton champion at inter-school level.

In an open badminton competition organised by Urban Council in 1991, Carmen was able to overcome all adult opponents until she met a China-trained player in the final.

'It was the first time I felt so honoured with the electric billboard reading my name.

'I was 13 at the time and I could feel that the spectators were all yearning for a miracle for me to win.' Though she lost she vividly remembers the occasion.

Badminton and table tennis are not the only sports the 18-year-old excels in.

In track and field she currently holds six school records (400 m, 800 m and 1500 m in both Grade B and C).

Carmen made history when she became the first female student to win the overall individual champion.

'I guess that I am physically healthier than most of my opponents because of my good foundation from the two years of intensive training in the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI),' Carmen said.

'In those training sessions we did weight training, technique improvement and lots of running which helped me develop plenty of stamina.' But the down side was that everyday after school she had to travel all the way from Tsuen Wan to Sha Tin to have three hours of harsh training and then spend another hour going home [Tuen Mun].

'By the time I got home, I did not have enough time to revise my schoolwork. Thank God my parents, especially my mother, were really understanding,' said the five-time school captain of the badminton, table tennis and athletics teams.

However, her HKCEE results did not disappoint her parents - a distinction in history and six credits.

At the end of her secondary school life in TWGSS, the temptation of medals and trophies does not come as strong as the satisfaction of coaching junior players.

'Indeed, I am passing on what I have learned at the HKSI and the Tuen Mun Sports Association [where she has been a member for several years] to other students.' Carmen is currently putting her energies into preparing the A-levels. IS there an outstanding student in your school you would like us to write about? Write to: Spotlight, Young Post, GPO Box 47, Hong Kong, or fax us on 2811-1048. Spotlight is co-ordinated by BENSON CHAO

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