Chan to settle for long distance

THE loneliness of the long distance runner did not affect Watson's Athletic Club's (WAC) Maggie Chan Man-yee as she raced away to a new Hong Kong women's 5000 metres record in yesterday's Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association (HKAAA) Open Meeting at Wanchai Sports Ground.

Clocking 17 minutes 14.02 seconds, Chan easily bettered her own time of 17:18.15 recorded in Guangzhau last March as she lapped her nearest opponent Tse Pik-lan of Happy Valley twice on her way to the finish line.

Chan intends concentrating on the 5000 metres for the Asian Athletics Championships to be held in Jakarta in late September.

' I do not have enough speed at present for the shorter races so I will concentrate on the 5000 metres for Jakarta and start my speed work when I go to America in August to further my studies,' she said .

Hong Kong's high jump record holder Chang Yu-ho of Yuen Long District Sports Association (YLDSA) yesterday won both men's long and triple jump events with leaps of 7.46 metres and 15.05 metres.

While he won both events comfortably, his efforts in terms of performance came nowhere near his high jump record of 2.15 metres.

Another athlete who caught the eye was young sprinter Tang Hon-sing of The Citizens Athletics Association who ran only in the heats of men's 100 metres and 200 metres, clocking 10.84 seconds and 22.05 respectively.

Similarly WAC's 400 metres hurdles record holder Tung Chung-man showed a sign of a return to form with a 54.60 seconds win in his event.

HKSI Director Dr Dennis Whitby, who attended yesterday's competition, was encouraged by what he saw.

'There is talent here but the sprinters will really have to work on their starts.' former top athletics coach Whitby said.