Athletes on right track
Four track stars received prestigious awards at the 47th annual prize presentation and dinner organised by the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association (HKAAA) last Thursday.
Tang Yik-chun (senior men), Wan Kin-yee (senior women), Lai Chun-ho (junior men) and Leung Hau-sze (junior women) were named Athletes of the Year 2006 in recognition of their outstanding efforts last year.
Tang, 19, a talented sprinter, has become the first athlete from Hong Kong to attend the US Olympic Training Centre in Chula Vista, California.
The Hong Kong 200m record-holder and bronze medallist at the 2005 National Games will train in California under the guidance of former US Olympic hurdles bronze medallist Tonie Campbell.
Tang came ninth in the 200m race at the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, last year.
He tops the Hong Kong men's rankings in both the 100 and 200m.
Female sprinter Wan won the senior Athlete of the Year prize for the eighth time in a row. She was also the Hong Kong record holder in 100m and 200m (10.37 seconds and 23.79 seconds, respectively) for nearly eight years.
Lai, 18, reached his personal-best time in the 100m sprint at the 12th Asian Junior Athletics Championships and 11th IAAF World Junior Athletics Championships. He was also part of the team which broke the Hong Kong record in the 4x100m relay last July.
Leung Hau-sze, 16, established new Hong Kong junior records in 200m and 4x100m relay in 2006. Leung leads the Hong Kong girls' junior rankings in 100 and 200m. She still holds the Hong Kong junior record in 200m.
More than 500 guests, including representatives of affiliated clubs, athletes, coaches, and the press, attended the ceremony.
Excellent Athletes awards and other prizes were also presented last Thursday.
