Cecilia Yeung leaps giant hurdles to show she’s flying high ahead of Hong Kong Championships
- The high jumper shows displays her confidence by clearing high hurdles at a practise session
- She will be given the opportunity of face the reigning Asian champion at the Hong Kong meet
Despite the underwhelming turn in Doha, where she managed just 1.75 metres, far below her personal best 1.88, the Hong Kong record holder is still brimming with confidence ahead of the Hong Kong Championships, the flagship event of the domestic track and field campaign.
In a practise session at the Sports Institute in Fo Tan, the youngster demonstrated her good condition as she cleared three giant hurdles one after another, all at a considerable height.
“I didn’t measure the height of these hurdles, just marking them on a plastic stick as reference to ensure I am progressing,” Yeung said.
“I just jumped with confidence, I’m not thinking about the Hong Kong Championships at the weekend. I keep reminding myself not to chase numbers, and to just enjoy every moment.”
The video footage, posted on Facebook, has attracted many comments. One follower said he had mistaken Yeung for Vera Lui Lai-yiu, Hong Kong’s leading hurdler in the women’s 100-metre hurdles, who finished fourth in Doha in a personal best 13.32 seconds.
“This is only a high jump practise, not a hurdles run,” Yeung replied. “Hurdles require a lot of speed but I can only jump high.”
Other commentors suggested Yeung should switch to volleyball with such powerful standing jumps but the high jumper reminded them she was originally a volleyball player before switching to high jump.
Yeung will be given the opportunity to gain revenge on one of her major rivals at Wan Chai Sports Ground this weekend.
Nadezhda Dusanova of Uzbekistan, who won the Doha meet with a jump of 1.90m, is one of four invited overseas athletes at the event.
As well as Yeung, Lui and sprinter Lam On-ki will both compete at Wan Chai this weekend.
While Lui is inching closer to the Hong Kong 100m hurdles record of 13.14 seconds set some 25 years ago by Chan Sau-ying, Lam recently shattered Chan’s 100m record, also set in 1994.
Lam finished fourth in the women’s 100m heats in Doha with a time of 11.62, smashing Chan’s previous best mark of 11.73.
She ran 11.69 in the final, giving her seventh position overall at the regional competition.
