https://www.scmp.com/rss/322150/feed World Athletics, formerly known as the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded on 17 July 1912. The IAAF's president is Sebastian Coe of the United Kingdom. He was elected at the 2015 congress before the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China. The IAAF hosts its World Championships in Athletics every two years. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Hong Kong’s only world junior championship finalist in history is swiftly making a name for himself at senior level. Rico Cheung Siu-hang won his third senior 110 metres hurdles race in a row on Saturday – and all three have come on the same track, at Hong Kong’s Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground. The latest success for Cheung – who last August finished seventh at the World Athletics U20 Championships – came in the second leg of the delayed Hong Kong Athletics Series, in a personal-best time of 14.46... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3178654/hong-kongs-world-class-junior-hurdler-rico-cheung-finds-fast-track?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3178654/hong-kongs-world-class-junior-hurdler-rico-cheung-finds-fast-track?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 May 2022 01:15:24 +0000 Long-jumper Tiffany Yue Ya-xin has leapt further than the Hong Kong record at a meeting in Portugal – but it will not count as the city’s new official mark, because the wind speed exceeded the permitted level. The 24-year-old on Sunday recorded a jump of 6.40 metres – 9cm further than her own official Hong Kong mark of 6.31 – with her third attempt at the XIII Meeting Vitor Tavares at Pista Municipal de Faro. However, the wind speed for her effort exceeded the allowed maximum of +4.30 metres per... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3177965/illegal-wind-rules-out-tiffany-yues-giant-leap-long-jump-record?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3177965/illegal-wind-rules-out-tiffany-yues-giant-leap-long-jump-record?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 May 2022 13:17:58 +0000 Tiffany Yue Ya-xin of Hong Kong is ready to break her own Hong Kong record after winning gold in the women’s long jump on Sunday in Albufeira, Portugal, with a leap of 6.19m. The 24-year-old Yue, Hong Kong’s long-jumping record holder with a reconf of 6.31m, began a two-and-a-half-month long overseas training camp in Portugal on April 1, under the tutelage of high-profile coach Rolf Ohman. Yue said she was on track to break her personal record after her first test on Monday at the Meeting de... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3177126/long-jumper-tiffany-yue-wins-gold-portugal-now-hopes-set-new-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3177126/long-jumper-tiffany-yue-wins-gold-portugal-now-hopes-set-new-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 May 2022 03:00:09 +0000 Men’s hurdlers Mui Ching-yeung and Cheung Wang-fung will look to seal their place at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games as they kick off their European training tour with the first competition in Thionville, France on Saturday. With 2020 Tokyo Olympic athlete Chan Chung-wang missing the Hangzhou Games because of studies, Mui and Cheung top the list of Hong Kong representatives, provided they can hold off challenges from some younger athletes. “We will be looking for a good start to the tour,” said... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3175179/hong-kong-hurdlers-kick-european-tour-sights-firmly-fixed-hangzhou?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3175179/hong-kong-hurdlers-kick-european-tour-sights-firmly-fixed-hangzhou?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Apr 2022 07:50:23 +0000 World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said the state of women’s sports is “very fragile” and sports federations need to get it right when writing rules for transgender female athletes. Coe’s comments come after University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender NCAA champion in Division 1 history by winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle in Atlanta last week. “The integrity of women’s sport — if we don’t get this right — and, actually, the future of women’s sport, is... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3171346/transgender-athletes-threaten-integrity-womens-sport-says-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3171346/transgender-athletes-threaten-integrity-womens-sport-says-world?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Mar 2022 02:00:09 +0000 Yaroslava Mahuchikh overcame the “total panic” of armed conflict in her native Ukraine to win gold in the high jump at the World Indoor Championships on Saturday. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mahuchikh was forced to flee her home, hide out in a cellar and eventually make the 2,000km trip over three days to Belgrade to face what she dubbed her own front line. The reigning European indoor high jump champion, who won Olympic bronze in Tokyo last summer and world outdoor silver in Doha in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3171152/ukraines-yaroslava-mahuchikh-defies-odds-win-emotional-gold-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3171152/ukraines-yaroslava-mahuchikh-defies-odds-win-emotional-gold-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Mar 2022 04:56:01 +0000 Vera Lui Lai-yiu was unable to clock the “Hong Kong record” she had set out for at the World Athletics Indoor Championships on Saturday, but hailed her race as a “great experience”. The 27-year-old finished eighth in her women’s 60m hurdles heats, and 40th overall, earning a season-best time of 8.45 seconds but failing to qualify to the finals in the Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia. Lui was just milliseconds off her personal best of 8.41 seconds in the event, in which won gold at the Asian... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3171117/world-indoor-championships-hong-kong-hurdler-vera-lui-narrowly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3171117/world-indoor-championships-hong-kong-hurdler-vera-lui-narrowly?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Mar 2022 11:33:14 +0000 Hong Kong 100m record holder Ng Ka-fung has praised the influence of Chinese sprinter Su Bingtian, as he looks to go even faster at the Asian Games in September. The pair are training together in Shenzhen, and Ng said he was constantly learning from Su, the fastest man in Asia, who became the first athlete from the region in 89 years to make the final of the men’s 100m at the Tokyo Olympics. Ng said Su, who he calls “big brother”, was taking great care of him during their time together at... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3168971/hong-kong-sprinter-ng-ka-fung-praises-influence-asias-fastest-man?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3168971/hong-kong-sprinter-ng-ka-fung-praises-influence-asias-fastest-man?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Mar 2022 02:15:15 +0000 Hong Kong athletics officials have welcomed a plan to build the city’s first ever indoor track and field stadium in Ma On Shan, a move they said would help athletes continue to succeed at a regional level. The indoor facility is part of the proposed Whitehead Sports Park, first touted in 2017 under the government’s HK$20 billion five-year plan to improve sports and recreation facilities in Hong Kong. According to a Sha Tin District Council paper submitted by the government in October last year,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3168966/hong-kong-athletics-say-proposal-mega-sports-park-ma-shan-major?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3168966/hong-kong-athletics-say-proposal-mega-sports-park-ma-shan-major?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Mar 2022 00:15:27 +0000 Lamine Diack, the controversial former president of world athletics, has died, his family said Friday. He was 88. “Yes, I confirm. My uncle Lamine Diack passed away Thursday to Friday night,” Awa Diack, niece of the former world athletics boss, said. Diack was president of the IAAF, now World Athletics, from 1999 to 2015 after holding several political positions in Senegal. Diack was sentenced to four years in prison for covering up the payment of bribes by Russian athletes involved in doping... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3158342/former-controversial-world-athletics-chief-lamine-diack-who-covered-russian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3158342/former-controversial-world-athletics-chief-lamine-diack-who-covered-russian?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Dec 2021 09:22:20 +0000 “Asia’s Fastest Man” Su Bingtian burst into the wider public consciousness during the semi-finals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer. That was when the 32-year-old ran the 100m in an Asian record 9.83 seconds to break his own record as the fastest man from the continent. It secured him a place in history as the first Chinese runner to compete in the men’s Olympic 100m final, the showpiece event of the Summer Games. Su also entered the race as the fastest qualifier among the field with... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3151539/who-su-bingtian-china-sprint-star-asias-fastest-man?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3151539/who-su-bingtian-china-sprint-star-asias-fastest-man?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Oct 2021 23:00:20 +0000 Yohan Blake is quite literally the second-fastest man on the planet with his 100-metre and 200m personal bests just milliseconds behind former Jamaica teammate Usain Bolt. There was a time when the two-time Olympic gold medallist was considered to be even more promising than his countryman, as Blake is still the holder the Jamaican junior national 100m record and is the youngest-ever 100m world champion. In 2008, Bolt told fans to “watch out for Yohan Blake” because he “works like a beast and is... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3139315/yohan-blake-biography-top-speed-jamaican-national-records-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3139315/yohan-blake-biography-top-speed-jamaican-national-records-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jun 2021 08:45:13 +0000 Hong Kong hurdler Vera Lui Lai-yiu is making a desperate bid to qualify for the Tokyo Games by pinning her hopes on Europe, with time running short as the deadline looms. Running in 36 degrees Celsius heat – Hong Kong’s hottest day in May on record – the 26-year-old cruised to victory in the women’s 100-metre hurdles in 13.73 seconds in the Athletics Series 3 at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground on Sunday. With the Covid-19 pandemic prematurely ending Lui’s season, she must now hope for an invitation... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3134554/tokyo-olympics-hong-kong-hurdler-vera-lui-pins-games-qualifying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3134554/tokyo-olympics-hong-kong-hurdler-vera-lui-pins-games-qualifying?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 May 2021 10:55:25 +0000 Hong Kong running star Christy Yiu Kit-ching has been thrown a lifeline in her stuttering Olympic qualifying campaign after being handed an invite to take part in next weekend’s Milan Marathon – her first marathon race in 22 months. Yiu’s hopes to qualify for this summer’s Tokyo Olympics have been thrown in disarray since the pandemic threw the world sporting calendar upside down in 2020. The 33-year-old long-distance runner needed assistance from the world governing body to save her Olympic... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3132360/hong-kongs-christy-yiu-take-part-milan-marathon-save-her-olympic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3132360/hong-kongs-christy-yiu-take-part-milan-marathon-save-her-olympic?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 May 2021 09:41:18 +0000 Long jumper Chan Ming-tai took a leap of faith in producing his best result in two years at the annual Hong Kong Championships on Sunday, while high jump queen Cecilia Yeung Man-wai continued her recovery from a career-threatening Achilles tendon injury with a solid performance. On the second day of domestic track and field’s flagship event at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground, Chan lifted the men’s title with a jump of 7.70 metres in his sixth and last jump when he needed to throw caution to the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3131969/long-jumper-chan-ming-tai-back-olympic-groove-after-winning-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3131969/long-jumper-chan-ming-tai-back-olympic-groove-after-winning-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 May 2021 11:28:31 +0000 Hurdler Vera Lui Lai-yiu raced to a seasonal best time at the annual Hong Kong championships before strong headwinds prevented her from improving her time in the final as she continued to chase her dream of making it to the Tokyo Olympics. At Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground on Saturday, the 26-old-year clocked 13.49 seconds in her heats – her best time since the resumption of competition late last year that was interrupted because of the pandemic. In the final, Lui managed 13.66 seconds to win the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3131902/tokyo-2020-hurdler-vera-lui-records-her-seasonal-best-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3131902/tokyo-2020-hurdler-vera-lui-records-her-seasonal-best-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 May 2021 11:49:43 +0000 Chan Ming-tai’s Tokyo Olympic hopes rests on his ability to leap close to eight metres, the Hong Kong long jumper said. The 26-year-old won the Hong Kong Athletics Series 2 long jump event at Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground on Sunday with a fifth jump of 7.40 metres, well short of the Olympic qualifying mark of 8.22 metres set by World Athletics. Chan, though, is looking for the wild card route through which he qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics. If no Hong Kong men’s athletes can book a place in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3131009/tokyo-2020-hong-kong-long-jumper-chan-ming-tai-hopes-8m-leap-he?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3131009/tokyo-2020-hong-kong-long-jumper-chan-ming-tai-hopes-8m-leap-he?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Apr 2021 10:21:22 +0000 Vera Lui Lai-yiu arrived at the Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground at 8.30am on Saturday expecting to run in the morning. Instead, she spent an angry hour inside a car calming herself down before waiting another four hours to hear the starter’s pistol. She took out her frustrations on the track at the Hong Kong Athletics Series 2 event, winning the women’s 100 metres hurdles in 13.51 seconds in what turned out to be a straight final. Lui said she was supposed to run a heat in the morning and was looking... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3130943/angry-early-bird-hurdler-vera-lui-seethes-inside-car-hour-blowing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3130943/angry-early-bird-hurdler-vera-lui-seethes-inside-car-hour-blowing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Apr 2021 10:30:40 +0000 Nina Schultz, China’s first naturalised track and field athlete, will be allowed to compete for her new nation this month ahead of the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer. The 22-year-old is eligible to compete in national representative competitions for China from April according to the World Athletics website, marking the end of the cooling-off period since she last competed for Canada. The Canada-born heptathlete, who is known as Zheng Ninali in China, competed in a regional... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3128341/tokyo-2020-chinas-nina-schultz-aiming-fulfil-grandmas-olympic-dream?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3128341/tokyo-2020-chinas-nina-schultz-aiming-fulfil-grandmas-olympic-dream?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Apr 2021 06:17:59 +0000 Hurdler Vera Lui Lai-yiu struggled to hold back the tears as she reflected on 2020 – a year in which her world ranking dropped drastically because of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lack of competition. Once 35th in the world and in a strong position to qualify in the women’s 100 metres hurdles for the Tokyo Olympics, Lui has plummeted to 106th in the latest rankings. “Many of my Asian counterparts from Taiwan, China and Japan have overtaken me and these are my major competitors for a place... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3127340/tokyo-games-2020-year-forget-tearful-hurdler-vera-lui-she-continues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3127340/tokyo-games-2020-year-forget-tearful-hurdler-vera-lui-she-continues?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Mar 2021 10:21:30 +0000 Long jumper Chan Ming-tai won his event at the 2021 Athletics Series opening track and field meeting at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground on Saturday but said he could have done better if he had been given six official jumps instead of four. The Hong Kong record holder jumped 7.44 metres to win the event despite committing two fouls in the second straight local meeting held after an ease of the pandemic situation in the city. Chan made only four attempts in the long jump and not the normal three jumps... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3127268/hong-kong-long-jumper-chan-ming-tai-wins-2021-athletics-series?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3127268/hong-kong-long-jumper-chan-ming-tai-wins-2021-athletics-series?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Mar 2021 11:00:18 +0000 About 200 local runners will take part in the first road race next month in the first competition of its kind in more than a year due to the pandemic. The Hong Kong 5K Championship is scheduled to take place in Inspiration Lake Recreation Centre in Disneyland on April 18 with all participants required to undergo Covid-19 testing. Organisers have limited the number of runners to just 200 to make sure they maintain safety measures. All participants will need to undergo Covid-19 tests within two... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3126762/road-racing-returns-after-14-months-entries-limited-200-runners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3126762/road-racing-returns-after-14-months-entries-limited-200-runners?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Mar 2021 08:12:23 +0000 Caster Semenya is going to the European Court of Human Rights to challenge “discriminatory” rules that prohibit her from competing in certain track events because of her high natural testosterone, her lawyers said Thursday. The two-time Olympic 800m champion has already lost two legal appeals against World Athletics’ regulations that force her to medically lower her natural testosterone level if she wants to run in women’s races from 400 meters to one mile. The South African’s lawyers said... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3123297/caster-semenya-taking-discriminatory-gender-case-european-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3123297/caster-semenya-taking-discriminatory-gender-case-european-court?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Feb 2021 08:42:10 +0000 Organisers of the 2020 Hong Kong Athletics Championships are not giving up hope of staging the annual showpiece early next year, even though the odds are heavily stacked against them with the pandemic still gripping the city. The Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates remains hopeful they will be given permission from the government to stage the event and provide a chance for athletes to gain more ranking points as they chase their tickets for next summer’s Tokyo Olympics. HKAAA chairman... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3115850/hong-kong-athletics-chief-not-giving-staging-2020-championships?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3115850/hong-kong-athletics-chief-not-giving-staging-2020-championships?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Dec 2020 09:04:49 +0000 Race walker Ching Siu-nga was named the 2019 best female track and field athlete by the Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates on Tuesday. The 33-year-old got a timely boost ahead of her first race in a year when she takes part in the 10km Japan New Year Race Walking Championships in Tokyo on Friday. It is the same event she took part in 12 months ago before the pandemic threw world sport into disarray. Hurdler Chan Chung-wang won the men’s category. Up-and-coming Tse Chun-yin and Cade... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3115743/race-walker-ching-siu-nga-and-hurdler-chan-chung-wang-named-best?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3115743/race-walker-ching-siu-nga-and-hurdler-chan-chung-wang-named-best?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Dec 2020 13:11:47 +0000 Most of us will put 2020 down as a year to forget, with the sporting world ravaged by Covid-19 just like everything else. Tokyo 2020 was the biggest casualty. The distraction of sport turned to concern for the teams and leagues that we love being able to survive the pandemic’s financial impact. Those that did go ahead did so in bizarre circumstances and sometimes in the face of widespread criticism, while many athletes chose to sit it out, reasonably citing Covid-19 concerns. As with any year,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3114999/best-2020-naomi-osaka-son-heung-min-lewis-hamilton-and-other?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3114999/best-2020-naomi-osaka-son-heung-min-lewis-hamilton-and-other?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Dec 2020 01:00:06 +0000 This weekend’s Hong Kong Athletics Championships have been postponed amid the latest pandemic restrictions, but organisers are trying to work out a diversified format to keep the Olympic dream going. The national championships are considered a category B event under World Athletics rules that can offer an additional 100 ranking points to the winner. And this can help improve the athletes’ world ranking as local athletes such as Vera Lui Lai-yiu, Chan Ming-tai and Yue Ya-xin aim to earn a ticket... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3114196/hong-kong-athletics-championships-postponed-organisers-want-keep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3114196/hong-kong-athletics-championships-postponed-organisers-want-keep?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Dec 2020 09:48:25 +0000 Healthy athletes should take their place in the Covid-19 vaccine queue behind people with more pressing needs despite events such as next year’s Olympic Games looking set to be highly dependent on competitors arriving free from the virus, the head of World Athletics Sebastian Coe said. Most athletes in their 20s and 30s, across all sports, would be just about last in line in most countries when it comes to handing out the vaccine but the pressure to create a Covid-safe environment at sporting... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3113714/athletes-must-wait-vaccine-queue-says-world-athletics-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3113714/athletes-must-wait-vaccine-queue-says-world-athletics-president?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Dec 2020 09:00:12 +0000 This month’s 2020 Hong Kong Athletics Championships – the city’s biggest domestic competition that offers valuable ranking points for Olympic qualification – is in danger of being scrapped because of the government’s latest anti-pandemic measures. The annual event is scheduled to take place at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground from December 19-20, but the 3,500-seat venue has been closed since December 10 until further notice in compliance with the government’s further tightening of social distancing... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3113605/athletics-officials-urge-government-help-olympic-hopefuls-allowing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3113605/athletics-officials-urge-government-help-olympic-hopefuls-allowing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Dec 2020 09:48:22 +0000 The World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China have been pushed back again to March 2023 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the sport’s global governing body said on Thursday. The event was initially scheduled for March 13-15 this year but was postponed for 12 months over fears related to the spread of the novel coronavirus in China. Organisers have now agreed to host the Nanjing event a year after the 2022 championships in Belgrade, World Athletics added. “For the safety of our athletes... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3113394/world-athletics-indoor-championships-china-postponed-again-until?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3113394/world-athletics-indoor-championships-china-postponed-again-until?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Dec 2020 09:04:21 +0000 Hong Kong-raised runner Jake Smith has announced he will represent England in future Commonwealth competitions, apologising to disappointed fans who watched him compete under the Welsh flag. In a heartfelt social media post, the 22-year-old Team GB star explained the change was necessary because he “hadn’t thought it through properly”, having broken the Welsh national half-marathon record held for 35 years. “I hope this doesn’t disappoint people but I have decided to go back to represent England... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3113227/hong-kong-raised-jake-smith-apologises-switching-wales-england-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3113227/hong-kong-raised-jake-smith-apologises-switching-wales-england-its?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Dec 2020 00:00:05 +0000 Race walker Ching Siu-nga will leave for Japan on Friday aiming to become the first track and field athlete from Hong Kong to qualify for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games after cooling her heels in the city for 11 months. To achieve the benchmark in the next three months, the 33-year-old will need to improve by one minute and 30 seconds, the time that separates her Hong Kong record from the Olympic qualifying mark. “I am so happy to have the opportunity of training and competing in Japan... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3113141/race-walker-ching-siu-nga-fully-prepared-olympic-mission-after-11?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3113141/race-walker-ching-siu-nga-fully-prepared-olympic-mission-after-11?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Dec 2020 05:00:21 +0000 Race walker Ching Siu-nga is looking forward to competing in her first race in 12 months in Japan next month in her quest to qualify for next year’s Olympics. But she knows the pandemic still poses a problem to her with a mandatory 14-day quarantine required for all visitors to Japan. Ranked 42nd in the world, the Hong Kong number one is eager to compete again after obtaining her entry visa to Japan, where she plans to race in three major races. And she is willing to do anything to get through... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3112249/ill-have-treadmill-my-hotel-room-race-walker-ching-siu-nga-all-set?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3112249/ill-have-treadmill-my-hotel-room-race-walker-ching-siu-nga-all-set?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Dec 2020 07:55:54 +0000 Long distance runner Christy Yiu Kit-ching completed only half her mission despite shattering her Hong Kong half marathon record at the world championships in Poland last week, in her first race for almost a year. Racing in the Baltic city of Gdynia, the 32-year-old came 49th out of the 105 starters with a time of one hour 12 minutes and 10 seconds, shaving more than 40 seconds off her previous best set in Tokyo last year. “My target was to break into one hour and 11 minutes, which means I had... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3106606/christy-yiu-completes-half-her-mission-despite-shattering-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3106606/christy-yiu-completes-half-her-mission-despite-shattering-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Oct 2020 04:54:55 +0000 New Team GB golden boy Jake Smith says he is “still in shock” after his record-breaking 60:31.00 at the 2020 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Poland last weekend. The 22-year-old Smith, who lived in Hong Kong for 16 years, was seen crying moments after finding out he bettered his personal best (PB) by 89 seconds, breaking several national records and becoming the third-fastest British half-marathon runner of all time – only behind Mo Farah and Callum Hawkins. “I am still in shock even a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3106287/hong-kong-raised-jake-smith-burst-tears-after-breaking-national?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3106287/hong-kong-raised-jake-smith-burst-tears-after-breaking-national?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Oct 2020 10:00:16 +0000 Hong Kong-raised Jake Smith was left in total disbelief after smashing his personal best (PB) and breaking several records at the 2020 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland on Saturday. On his senior Great Britain debut, the 22-year-old finished 18th in just 60:31.00, officially becoming the third-fastest British half-marathon runner – only behind Mo Farah and Callum Hawkins – of all time. He also set a new record for his Welsh national team. Smith – who was the second... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3106004/hong-kong-raised-jake-smith-stunned-after-record-breaking-finish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3106004/hong-kong-raised-jake-smith-stunned-after-record-breaking-finish?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Oct 2020 07:42:49 +0000 Distance runner Christy Yiu Kit-ching will be racing for the first time this year on the international stage as she sets her sights on qualifying for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In a year rocked by the Covid-19 pandemic, the 32-year-old can finally leave Hong Kong next week for the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland, on October 17. Yiu, who set a Hong Kong record for the event (one hour 12 minutes and 52 seconds) in her last international event in Tokyo last... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3104666/olympic-hope-christy-yiu-compete-first-international-race-2020-half?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3104666/olympic-hope-christy-yiu-compete-first-international-race-2020-half?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2020 06:20:22 +0000 Next year’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, scheduled to take place on January 24, has been postponed, organisers announced on Thursday. The Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association said public health has been their top consideration and with the pandemic situation still not yet stable, they have decided to push back the annual showpiece without giving a specific date. “We are monitoring the pandemic situation closely and are now working with relevant departments to fix another date for the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3099063/coronavirus-2021-hong-kong-marathon-postponed-organisers-looking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3099063/coronavirus-2021-hong-kong-marathon-postponed-organisers-looking?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Aug 2020 06:38:41 +0000 Promising runner Jake Smith is set to make his senior debut for Great Britain after a record-breaking start to the year – thanks to the foundations laid in the hills of Hong Kong. Bermudan-born 22-year-old Smith, who spent 16 years in Hong Kong, is the reigning British U-23s half-marathon record-holder after clocking an impressive 62:00.00 at the Vitality Big Half in London in March. The time, which put him behind only world-record holder Kenenisa Bekele and British Olympian Chris Thompson,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3094837/tokyo-2020-team-gb-record-breaker-jake-smith-reminisces-over-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3094837/tokyo-2020-team-gb-record-breaker-jake-smith-reminisces-over-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jul 2020 00:00:08 +0000 Injury-plagued Christy Yiu Kit-ching looks set to benefit from the delayed 2020 Olympic qualification, which will resume in December after the Covid-19 pandemic ground global sport to a halt. World Athletics announced earlier this month they would suspend the qualification period for the Tokyo Games, which was supposed to run between April and November, following consultation with relevant bodies including the athletes’ commission, area presidents and councils. “It will certainly give me more... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3080730/marathon-runner-christy-yiu-benefit-olympic-qualification-resumes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3080730/marathon-runner-christy-yiu-benefit-olympic-qualification-resumes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2020 09:52:35 +0000 The Hong Kong Amateur Athletics Association plans to postpone the forthcoming National Championships until the epidemic is over in hopes of attracting overseas competitors to help home athletes chase their Olympic qualification. With the IOC decision to push back the 2020 Tokyo Games until next year, the association will have more flexibility for staging their annual event, which has featured top Chinese sprinter Su Bingtian, long jumper Wang Jinan and women’s high jumpers from former Soviet... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3077093/hong-kong-athletics-will-stage-later-national-championships-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3077093/hong-kong-athletics-will-stage-later-national-championships-after?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2020 08:38:32 +0000 Vera Lui Lai-yiu’s Olympic qualification bid was thrown into disarray after organisers called off this week’s Queensland Track Classic due to concerns over the coronavirus. Hong Kong’s leading women’s hurdler, Lui left the epidemic battered city for Australia last month, hoping that the event could boost her world ranking so that she can get into the 40-member list for Tokyo this summer. “We thought it could be an opportunity as the Track Classic in Brisbane offers additional ranking points,”... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3075391/tokyo-2020-hong-kong-hurdler-vera-luis-olympic-hopes-dashed-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3075391/tokyo-2020-hong-kong-hurdler-vera-luis-olympic-hopes-dashed-after?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2020 08:39:54 +0000 Hurdler Vera Lui Lai-yiu has left coronavirus-hit Hong Kong for a month-long training camp and competitions in Australia in her bid to gain a ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 25-year-old will be racing in the 100-metre hurdles in the Queensland Athletics Championships on Sunday, her first event in seven months after the World University Games in Italy last summer. “I feel so excited about leaving Hong Kong for my first race of the year,” said the Hong Kong number one hurdler after arriving... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3064787/hurdler-vera-lui-excited-leave-epidemic-hit-hong-kong-australia-she?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3064787/hurdler-vera-lui-excited-leave-epidemic-hit-hong-kong-australia-she?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2020 00:00:11 +0000 Coronavirus continues to lay waste to the international sporting calendar at the beginning of 2020. Hong Kong sport has been badly affected by the outbreak but so has the region and, increasingly, the wider sporting community. The following is a list of international sports events affected by the coronavirus that has killed over 1,000 people and infected more than 43,000 so far in China after it first emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province, late last year: Athletics The World Athletics Indoor... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3049787/coronavirus-all-major-international-sports-events-affected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3049787/coronavirus-all-major-international-sports-events-affected?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Feb 2020 04:22:33 +0000 The biggest barrier to hurdler Vera Lui Lai-yiu’s dream of clinching an Olympic Games berth may not come on the track but in the shape of the coronavirus. The 25-year-old was scheduled to race in the Asian Indoor Championships in Hangzhou next week but the continental event was called off because of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Lui was aiming for a good position in the East China city to boost her world ranking, one of the two ways to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games. “We had high... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3049309/coronavirus-outbreak-biggest-barrier-hong-kong-hurdler-vera-luis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3049309/coronavirus-outbreak-biggest-barrier-hong-kong-hurdler-vera-luis?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Feb 2020 06:33:59 +0000 Hurdler Vera Lui Lai-yiu began the new year campaign with a bang, setting a personal best in the women’s 60 metre hurdles on Sunday and putting Tokyo Olympics qualification firmly in her sights. Hong Kong’s top hurdler won the event in 8.32 seconds at the 2020 Hong Kong Athletics Preseason Trial 1 at Wan Chai Sports Ground, booking a berth at next month’s Asian Indoor Championships in Hangzhou, China, in February. “I felt great after the winter training camp and I am happy to set a personal best... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3046789/tokyo-2020-hurdler-vera-lui-has-olympics-qualification-her-grasp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3046789/tokyo-2020-hurdler-vera-lui-has-olympics-qualification-her-grasp?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2020 04:14:57 +0000 Professional athletes will do just about anything to gain an edge. Swimmers will shave their entire bodies in hopes of cutting milliseconds off their times, baseball pitchers will spit on the ball to make it slippery and boxers will punch concrete walls to strengthen their knuckles. But at what point do these tricks of the trade become too much? The same question revolves around sports equipment, as every competition or league has rules and regulations on what you can and can’t wear so... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3036704/wearing-carbon-fiber-plated-running-shoes-cheating?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3036704/wearing-carbon-fiber-plated-running-shoes-cheating?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Nov 2019 00:00:09 +0000 For as long as men have raced each other, elusive and seemingly unattainable performance goals have captured the imagination. If you believe that things always get better, there is never any doubt that someone will achieve a goal sooner or later. Then, in no time, the feat often becomes commonplace or even a benchmark of elite competition. Witness the first sub-four-minute mile by English runner Roger Bannister in 1954. Within a few years, multiple runners were repeating it in single events.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3033931/marathon-feat-shows-there-no-limit-human-endeavour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3033931/marathon-feat-shows-there-no-limit-human-endeavour?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Oct 2019 13:30:08 +0000 China’s best medal haul at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in 26 years offers a preview of what to expect at next year’s Tokyo Olympics but its performances also highlighted a number of weaknesses. China captured three gold, three silver and three bronze medals in Doha, finishing fourth in the medals standings. It won four golds at the 1993 worlds in Stuttgart but has since failed to win more than two gold medals until this year. With the 2020 Olympic Games in less than a year, China has... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3031993/china-iaaf-athletics-world-championships-highs-and-lows-mixed-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3031993/china-iaaf-athletics-world-championships-highs-and-lows-mixed-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Oct 2019 07:57:56 +0000 Chinese women swept the podium in the women’s 20km race walk at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha early on Monday, while Hong Kong’s Ching Siu-nga achieved her pre-race target. Hong Kong’s sole representative at the world’s biggest track and field event, Ching overcame the heat and humidity to finish 30th in the streets of the Qatar capital. Despite starting the event a minute before midnight to try to avoid the heat, the temperature still soared to 31 degrees Celsius. Ching clocked... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3030924/iaaf-world-athletics-championships-china-sweeps-podium-ching-hits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3030924/iaaf-world-athletics-championships-china-sweeps-podium-ching-hits?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Sep 2019 05:58:17 +0000