Tang Yik-chun won the much anticipated men's 200 metres in the third round of the 2005 Watsons Athletic King yesterday at Siu Sai Wan, but the showdown between Tang and former record holder Chiang Wai-hung failed to materialise after Chiang failed to show up.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms forced the organisers to delay the start of the event until 3pm, however Tang was unfazed by the wait, and posted the fastest time in the heats of 22.08 seconds, and then won the final in a comfortable 21.34.
In the women's 200m Chan Ho-yee (25.38) held off a determined challenge from junior Leung Hau-sze (25.54) in a final charge that almost required a photo finish.
The men's 800m produced a gun to tape win from Tsuen Wan Athletic Club's Lau Tak-lung. The trailing pack waited for Lau to run out of steam on the second lap of this testing event, but it didn't happen and the talented runner forged on to the line for a comfortable win.
The women's 800m produced some of the best running of the afternoon when Sara Cheung ran the first lap in a hot 67 seconds, with junior runner Lo Wing-hei close behind. Pulling away from the rest of the field, Cheung looked in control as they entered the home straight, but Lo had an extra kick that saw her claim the gold medal in 2:20.
Day two today features the 100m, 400m and 1,500m events as well as relay events, which will be an opportunity for the Hong Kong squads to test their speed.