Race walker Ching Siu-nga ‘fully prepared’ for Olympic mission after 11-month wait due to Covid-19
- The 33-year-old says she can hit the ground walking, needing to shave one minute and 30 seconds off her time to meet qualifying mark
- Ching will spend three months in Japan training and racing, but can fall back on her world ranking as a route to next year’s delayed Tokyo Games
Race walker Ching Siu-nga will leave for Japan on Friday aiming to become the first track and field athlete from Hong Kong to qualify for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games after cooling her heels in the city for 11 months.
To achieve the benchmark in the next three months, the 33-year-old will need to improve by one minute and 30 seconds, the time that separates her Hong Kong record from the Olympic qualifying mark.
“I am so happy to have the opportunity of training and competing in Japan until the end of March after being left in Hong Kong for the last 11 months due to the pandemic,” said Ching, who missed out on the 2016 Rio Olympics despite reaching the qualifying standard in an unrecognised event in the United States.
“I am so fortunate that I can finally leave Hong Kong and go overseas for a training and competition stint to boost my qualification hopes.
“It’s not easy to secure an entry visa to Japan with the pandemic still affecting most parts of the region, but it is thanks to the athletic association that has been so supportive, while the Sports Institute has also examined the health measures in Japan to ensure my safety.”