Tsui breaks 100-metre HK record

Tsui Chi-ho ushered in a new era in men's sprinting yesterday when he became the first Hong Kong athlete to run the 100 metres in less than 10.3 seconds.

Tsui set a Hong Kong record with a time of 10.28 seconds during the IAAF World Athletics Day and Open Meet at Wan Chai Sports Ground - shaving 0.09 sec off the 10-year-old mark of clubmate and training partner Chiang Wai-hung.

The 20-year-old from Wong Tai Sin has been threatening to produce great results since he decided to become a full-time athlete three years ago at the age of just 17.

In an sign of what was to come, Tsui won a bronze at the Asian Junior Championships in Jakarta in 2008 and then claimed three medals in the Asian Grand Prix series last year.

'I knew I had the ability to beat Chiang's record, and I have to thank him for giving me so much help and advice over the past three years,' Tsui said. 'The key to my run was getting a great start, and that's what Chiang has been helping me to improve recently.'

Chiang's advice proved timely, as yesterday's event was the first in Hong Kong in which the new IAAF rule was introduced that sees anyone making a false start automatically disqualified.

Tsui's next international event will be an Asian Grand Prix meeting to be staged in India in July, but his long-term goal is to make the 100m finals at the Asian Games in Guangzhou in November.

'The competition in Guangzhou will be tough, but I'm improving year by year and my confidence is growing and helping me to run better and faster,' Tsui said.

Two other records fell yesterday, in the men's 200m relay and the women's 800m relay.

The running man

The time Tsui Chi-ho shaved off the 10-year 100-metre record of 10.37 secs: .09sec