Pole vaulter, 16, in record-breaking form

Wong Chui-yiu twice broke the Hong Kong junior record for the pole vault in the first round of the Hong Kong Athletic League 2007 over the weekend.

Wong cleared 2.5 metres and 2.6m in her first attempts at the Wan Chai Sports Ground, setting new junior records in the process. With her second effort, she eclipsed the old record by 0.2m.

The 16-year-old, who took up the sport only six months ago, finished second behind women's Hong Kong record holder, Lin Wan-nei, who cleared 2.9m.

Wong's coach, Kevin Ankrom, said this was her first athletics meet and she performed a lot better than she expected. Her next goal is to clear 3m, Ankrom said.

Tang Yik-chun again underlined his status as Hong Kong's fastest man by winning the men's 100m and 200m races.

The 19-year-old clinched the 200m on Saturday with a time of 21.44 seconds - 0.5 seconds slower than the current Hong Kong record. Second-placed Leung Ki-ho trailed Tang by 0.39 seconds.

Wong Ka-chun was third in a time of 22.13 seconds.

On Sunday, Tang came home first in the 100m, clocking 10.59 seconds.

Tang said he gave himself eight marks out of 10 for his performance on Sunday. He said he would be aiming to reach the standard of the Asian Athletics Championships.

In the women's track events, Leung Hau-sze dominated the 100m and 200m, with times of 12.19 seconds and 25.03 seconds, respectively.

Tang Hon-sing won the men's 100m hurdles in 14.64 seconds. Chan Wai-lun, who was a mere 0.05 seconds behind Tang, took second place. Lo Ngai-fung was third in 15.07 seconds.

The annual competition is organised by the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association (HKAAA).