Crowning glory for star sprinter Yik-chun

Schoolboy Tang Yik-chun added two more accolades to the many awards he has collected this year, when he won both the Watsons Water Athletic King and Junior King titles last week.

And schoolgirl Leung Hau-sze came close to doing the same in the women's category, falling just short of clinching the senior honour.

Points gathered during four rounds of the year-long competition are added up to decide the top athletes. The final round is usually staged in early October, but was postponed since many leading Hong Kong athletes were on international duty at the National Games, the East Asian Games and the Asian Indoor championships in Bangkok.

With a time of 21.47 seconds, Yik-chun beat mainland National Games gold medallist Yang Yaozu in the 200-metre final in the weekend event, and also took gold in the 100m sprint, clocking 10.54 seconds. Yik-chun achieved an unprecedented feat by winning both the junior and senior titles.

The latest awards come soon after Yik-chun, 19, won a bronze at the National Games in Nanjing, and a gold medal at the first Asian Indoor Games in Bangkok. The Form Six student at STFA Yung Yau College, in Tin Shui Wai, was also recently named Watsons Athletic Club's Athlete of the Year, and was champion of the 2005 Watsons Water Junior Elite Competition.

Hau-sze clinched the 200m, and was a member of the Watsons Athletic Club team who won the 4x100m relay. She won the junior title, and was just two points behind Wan Kin-yee, who clinched the senior award thanks to her victory in the 100m sprint.