Life's too short to harbour doubt: 72-year-old takes on Cross Harbour Swim with daughter
Mabel Chau took up skiing at 50, sky diving at 60 and running at 70. Today she joins thousands taking the plunge in the Cross Harbour Race
When thousands of swimmers dive into Victoria Harbour today at the start of the annual Cross Harbour Race, one woman will already have set a record.
At 72 years old, Mabel Chau will be the oldest female competitor in this year's open water race, which will see 2,000 participants stroke their way across the harbour from Lei Yue Mun on the Kowloon side to Quarry Bay Park on Hong Kong Island.
For Chau, a retired English teacher who now teaches part-time, her first attempt at the 1.5km race will be more memorable as she will be taking the plunge with her daughter, Ann Chau, 40.
"She's my inspiration," the elder Chau says about her daughter. While Ann - a member of the Hong Kong swim squad during her teens - responds: "No, she's my inspiration."
Mabel reveals that she took up skiing when she turned 50, followed by scuba diving and sky diving at 60 and then long-distance running at 70.
"She has no limits," said the younger Chau, "and she is always young at heart. I never feel she is getting old."
The race - sponsored by property developer New World Group - was revived in 2011 after a 30-year hiatus due to the pollution in Victoria Harbour.