Advertisement

Gymnast Shek Wai-hung back in Olympics with two difficult vault jumps that could make or break his medal hopes

  • Shek has been practising two jumps made famous by 2016 Rio vault champion Ri Se-gwang, of North Korea, each having the highest difficulty value
  • He was first gymnast to have represented Hong Kong in the Olympics when he qualified for the 2012 London Games, though he failed to make it to Rio in 2016

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Shek Wai-hung performs a vault jump during a media event at the Shun Lee Tsuen Sports Centre in Kwun Tong on Thursday. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Hong Kong vault specialist Shek Wai-hung must have practised his jumps more than 1,000 times over the past three years – but it will the two jumps he makes at the Tokyo Olympics this summer that matter most.
Advertisement

Returning to the Olympic Games after nine years, Shek is aiming high by performing two jumps with the highest difficulty value and named after 2016 Olympic champion Ri Se-gwang, of North Korea, who retired in 2020.

“I now have much more confidence in handling the two difficult jumps after so many practice sessions,” said Shek, who was the first gymnast to represent Hong Kong at the Olympic Games when making his debut in London 2012.

Gymnast Shek Wai-hung shows of his new tattoo on his back featuring the Olympic rings. Photo: Chan Kin-wa
Gymnast Shek Wai-hung shows of his new tattoo on his back featuring the Olympic rings. Photo: Chan Kin-wa
“But still, it all depends on how you perform on that day as a minor mistake may cost you dearly. After all, I have not taken part in any competition for more than a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the next event will be the Tokyo Olympics.”
Advertisement

Shek and the Hong Kong team have not taken part in competition since the 2020 World Cup series in Buka, Azerbaijan. Since then, they have been training in Hong Kong.

loading
Advertisement