Long jumper Tiffany Yue wins gold in Portugal, now hopes to set a new Hong Kong record
- Yue set a Hong Kong women’s long jump record of 6.31m at the 2019 World University Games in Italy
- Under new coach Rolf Ohman, Yue, 24, has shifted her focus to weight training and ‘a lot of explosive exercises in the gym’
Tiffany Yue Ya-xin of Hong Kong is ready to break her own Hong Kong record after winning gold in the women’s long jump on Sunday in Albufeira, Portugal, with a leap of 6.19m.
The 24-year-old Yue, Hong Kong’s long-jumping record holder with a reconf of 6.31m, began a two-and-a-half-month long overseas training camp in Portugal on April 1, under the tutelage of high-profile coach Rolf Ohman.
Yue said she was on track to break her personal record after her first test on Monday at the Meeting de Albufeira by Ap Victória Sports Beach.
“It’s a local event with some Portuguese and Finnish competitors, I had a few fouls before making 6.19m, but given my previous event was seven months ago, I’m happy with the result,” said Yue, whose most recent competition was the National Games in September when she leapt 5.92m in the finals and 5.99m in the heats.
Yue’s first two jumps were declared a foul before making 6.19m on her third attempt, despite taking off 20cm away from the take-off board.
“I didn’t want to get fouled again, and the texture of the floor was different from my training base, so I took off a little sooner to play safe.
“With this try, I can get to 6.19m, and there are several fouls beyond 6.40m, so I am hopeful that a new Hong Kong record is not far away,” said Yue, who set the Hong Kong women’s long jump record of 6.31m at the 2019 World University Games in Italy.
The long-jumper credits her performance to Hong Kong coach Ohman, a former Chinese national team assistant head coach.
“Rolf is a very nice person who enjoys telling jokes; in fact, his teaching style is similar to that of my previous coach [Animo Chan, who left Hong Kong late last year], the main difference being the weight training, which includes a lot of explosive exercises in the gym.”
Before returning to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Championships in late June, there are three more competitions in Europe, including two on the 14th and 25th of this month and one on June 10.
Hong Kong high-jumping record holder Cecilia Yeung Man-wai, who is now adjusting to a new approach mark, jumped 1.70m to claim silver, while men’s long-jumper Ko Ho-long leapt 7.61m to win gold.
