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.” Lam’s time was ninth-best overall out of 26 runners and she was due to run in the next round overnight. Topping the time sheet was India’s Dutee Chand with 11.28 seconds. Kazakhstan’s Olga Safronova was second on 11.30 with China’s Wei Yongli (11.36) and Liang Xiaojing (11.37) third and fourth respectively. Lam was identified as a promising sprinter during her youth but an Achilles injury in 2009 severely hampered her progress. She managed to earn a place in the Hong Kong squad for the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, running a disappointing 12.43 seconds. Her hopes of breaking Chan’s mark suffered another major setback two years later when she was struck down by a recurrence of her Achilles problem. Many thought her career was over and even her parents suggested it may be time to hang up her spikes. But Lam was more determined than ever. She worked even harder to regain her fitness and at the Singapore Open in April last year, proved that she was still Hong Kong’s top female sprinter when she came within 0.03 seconds of Chan’s record by clocking 11.76 seconds. Hong Kong’s best-ever Asian Games medal haul prompts call for more sports funding Lam was unable to lower her time at last year’s Asian Games in Jakarta, reaching the semi-finals with a best effort of 11.99 seconds. Still, it was considered a triumph just to turn up on the track given her injury-riddled past. “My parents were worried about my injuries and from time to time would ask me when I would retire,” she said. “When I graduated from high school I promised to retire after breaking the Hong Kong record.” Although she has achieved her dream of setting a Hong Kong record, Lam said she would go back on her promise to call it a day. “Parents, I have succeeded but I cannot retire,” she said. “I still want to continue running. There is no reason to let go.”
