From weight-loss plan to first ever Hong Kong wushu world championships sanda medallist

Nana Tsang Hoi-lan was often called “a crab with soft limbs” in her younger days, a time when she had little or no desire to do any physical exercise, even though her siblings were active in sport.

As she grew up, her body expanded to the extent that, at just 1.66 metres tall and weighing 64 kgs, she was inevitably teased by her work colleagues.

“I sometimes fell down on the street when walking during my younger days,” said Tsang, now 38. “At that time, I thought I was simply weak and lacked body coordination, but now I know it was because I had lacked proper physical exercise.”

Working as a clerk in a sedentary office job up until her mid- to late-20s only exacerbated her weakness. “I finally thought enough was enough and started picking up sports, hoping it could make me healthier and at least look better. Since my sister, who is married to a Muay Thai fighter, does combat sports, I decided to follow her.”

She started Thai boxing over a decade ago but did not have her first competitive bout until 2010, in shoot boxing, a popular Japanese combat discipline. She slowly gathered momentum in a variety of combat sports until last month in Shanghai, when she lifted a wushu world championships silver medal in the women’s sanda under-60kg category, the first ever sanda medal for Hong Kong.