Mannon upsets planning by WAC
Defending champions Watson's Athletic Club (WAC) yesterday slumped to a cross country defeat at the hands of Police Athletic Club (PAC) in the second race of the season's Watson's Hong Kong Cross Country League held over 10 kilometres at Sek Kong in the New Territories.
WAC, fielding a depleted team with several runners competing in Macau, could not stop unattached newcomer Martin Mannon hitting the finish line first in 33 minutes 29 seconds, with the 200-strong field well strung out behind.
Wong Ip-chor of Tsun Wan Athletic Club (TWAC) took second in 33:56 while Police runners Wong Wing-kuen and Leung Yat finished third and fourth in 34:05 and 34:28 respectively.
Ladies Road Runners Club's (LRRC) Gillian Castka made it two in a row when she won the women's race, clocking 40:03 to beat Yeung Mei-lun of Hong Kong Distance Runners Club and LRRC teammate Hiromi Tsuji, who clocked 42:03 and 42:11 respectively.
WAC's juniors swept the boards in both the boys' and girls' five kilometres races, with Lee Chi-wo winning the boys' under 20s event in 16:34.
Meanwhile, WAC's Kjeld Dissing made no mistake in the Macau Half Marathon, winning in a time of one hour 11 minutes and 26 seconds, with Macau runner Lam Weng-hei just over a minute behind and Hong Kong's Chung Yan-kwei third in 1:14:47.
WAC's Mandy Lo Man-yee won the women's event in 1:23:47 with another Hong Kong runner Cho Yee Wan a distant second in 1:32:28.
