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Cecilia Yeung Man-wai in action at the 2018 Asian Games. Photo: Hong Kong Olympic Committee

Asian Games: Hong Kong high jump queen Cecilia Yeung apologises after fifth-place flop in Indonesia

Athlete admits she cracked under the pressure after targeting a medal at her maiden Asiad

Cecilia Yeung Man-wai apologised for her disappointing performance in the Asian Games after the star high jumper managed a fifth place in Jakarta.

Targeting a medal in her maiden Asiad appearance, the 23 year-old failed to clear 1.84 metres after three attempts, leaving her only a mediocre result of 1.80 metres, a distance from her Hong Kong record 1.88 metres set last year.

In a long confession passage posted on her Facebook after the defeat, Yeung apologised three times in hashtag “Sorry”, “Sorry coach” and “Sorry for all people who have been supporting me”.

Yeung said she felt good during the warm-up ahead of the 14-athlete event and was well on her way to challenging for a medal. But she cracked under pressure when the real medal contention came.
Hong Kong high jump ace Cecilia Yeung Man-wai with her 2017 Asian Championships silver medal. Photo: Chan Kin-wa

“I felt I still have a lot more to offer when reaching the stage for medal contention, but then the pressure came out from the bottom of my heart,” she said.

“The chance was so close but I could not take it. Did I put too much on winning a medal and in the end I did nothing?” she asked herself.

Only six athletes cleared 1.8 metres at the 76,000 seat Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, the main venue for athletics, but that was the best Yeung could offer.

Yeung in action at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground. Photo: Handout

Svetlana Radzivil of Uzbekistan clinched the gold medal with a Games record 1.96 metres while her fellow teammate, Nadiya Dusanova, the pre-event favourite, came second with 1.94 metres. Third place went to Nadezhda Dubovitskaya of Kazakhstan who cleared 1.84 metres, just ahead of Wang Xueyi of China and Yeung, both on 1.8 metres.

Yeung, one of the most high profile Hong Kong athletes due to her secondary part-time role as a popular commercial model, said she would have a lot to face after the defeat.

“What should I do when I face the holidays after the Asian Games? What should I do when I face the jobs in future?” she said.

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