Hong Kong’s all-time fastest woman: Angie Lam overcomes doubts and setbacks to break 25-year-old record for 100m sprint
- The 27-year-old made it her ‘obsession’ to become Hong Kong’s fastest-ever woman and finally fulfilled her dream by clocking 11.62 seconds
Angie Lam On-ki’s dream was to become the fastest female sprinter the city has ever had, eyeing the Hong Kong record for the women’s 100 metres sprint that has stood since 1994.
Many sceptics called it an obsession and during a career plagued by injuries and setbacks, she was told several times to abandon her quest.
The Hong Kong Sports Institute athlete refused to give up and on her 27th birthday over the weekend, she was finally rewarded when she broke Chan Sau-ying’s 25-year-old record at the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Lam clocked 11.62 seconds to finish fourth in her heat, eclipsing the time of 11.73 seconds former hurdler Chan set in 1994 – dedicating the record to “everyone”, including those who had doubted her ability.
“Some people have said that this is an obsession, but I always believed that I would do it,” Lam was quoted as saying in local media. “It is a record for everyone.”