Hurdler Vera Lui excited to leave epidemic-hit Hong Kong for Australia as she chases Olympic ticket
- She will spend a month training and competing in Australia as Hong Kong battles the coronavirus
- Joining the hurdler is long jumper Yue Ya-xin, who is also striving for a place at the Games
Hurdler Vera Lui Lai-yiu has left coronavirus-hit Hong Kong for a month-long training camp and competitions in Australia in her bid to gain a ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The 25-year-old will be racing in the 100-metre hurdles in the Queensland Athletics Championships on Sunday, her first event in seven months after the World University Games in Italy last summer.
“I feel so excited about leaving Hong Kong for my first race of the year,” said the Hong Kong number one hurdler after arriving in Brisbane on Monday. “There has been a lot of hard work behind the scenes to get me here and I would like to thank the athletic association and the Sports Institute.”
After setting a personal best 13.32 seconds at the 2019 Asian Championships in Doha last year, Lui is well on course to challenge for an Olympic ticket through the world ranking system, but the epidemic has made life difficult for the world number 53.
