Sydney Olympics race walking gold medallist Wang Liping put local athletes through their paces yesterday at Ma On Shan Sports Ground ahead of the MTR Race Walking 2006 on Sunday.
Wang and coach Zhang Juan are in Hong Kong to lead a series of workshops to promote the sport to schoolchildren and share her experiences and training secrets with local athletes and coaches.
Wang, who also won the 20km event at the East Asian Games in Macau last November, said race walking was the perfect form of exercise for those who don't want to put too much pressure on the joints, as can happen with running. But she warned that the sport required dedication and endurance and one had to become inured to the pain of blisters.
'Walking is a great form of anaerobic exercise that is good for your heart and lungs and a healthy body,' she said. 'But my advice for beginners is that you must prepare yourself for a very long and hard training regimen.'
She said the annual MTR Race Walking competition, which began last year, was great for the development of the sport in Hong Kong. 'It will be a great help in promoting the sport as people will start to take notice and the sport will gain in popularity. With more competitors there will be a larger number of walkers to choose from for a stronger Hong Kong team.'
The most important attributes of a race walker are flexible joints, not long legs as is often assumed, said Wang. 'Flexibility in the legs, hips, knees and ankles are more important than long legs. And attitude is also very important.'