Hong Kong athlete Cecilia Yeung Man-wai leaves for a critical three-month training camp in Portugal on Friday, as she looks to regain her best form and secure a spot at the Asian Games. The high jump star managed just four attempts last year as she continued her rehabilitation from a career-threatening Achilles tendon injury sustained in 2019, and a best result of 1.75m at the National Games was well below the Hong Kong record of 1.88m she set in Taipei in 2017. And despite picking up an injury to her right ankle, Yueng believes that not only can she match her personal best, but with the help of new coach Rolf Ohman can smash the mark and clear the 2m barrier in the process. “I know I can clear 2m in the future, but I’ll take it one at a time, with the training and competitions in Portugal,” she said. “I hope I can go back to 1.80m first, then 1.90m with the help of the new coach.” Yeung’s main goal this year is the Asian Games in September, but with all local competitions cancelled or delayed because of Covid-19, she is counting on time in Europe with Ohman to take her to the next level. “I haven’t told anybody about my injury, and it was happening even during the National Games last September,” Yeung said. “Whenever I jump off with my right foot, the right ankle hurts, and it has become more serious recently. “They call it footballer’s ankle. I did quite well with gym work, but when it comes to jumping, it hurts again, so I stopped jumping for the last two months.” Hong Kong pair hope Portugal trip will be great leap forward for Asian Games An MRI scan last week revealed an impingement, and Yueng is hoping Ohman, the newly appointed Hong Kong Sports Institute jumps coach, can show her a new way of training to solve the problem. “I know that Rolf has coached lots of women high jumpers to clear 1.90m and have years of coaching experience with different background of elite athletes, and he may have a way to deal with my ankle problem,” she said. “I am looking forward to a new training method from him.” Ohman, a former assistant head coach of the Chinese national team, has worked with elite level athletes across all jump events, helping many to qualify for the Olympic Games and World Championships. For Yeung, the injury is just the latest set back in a series of them over the past six years. But the University of Hong Kong marketing and business design and innovation graduate has a permanent reminder to keep moving forward – a tattoo on her right arm that says “aim higher”. “I got this tattoo in 2016 when I turned full-time, and it is like a daily reminder and a mental attitude not only jump higher but also do the best of myself,” said Yeung, who has turned the mantra into a T-shirt logo. It is an attitude that has served her well since her record-breaking performance at the Asian Grand Prix in Taiwan five years ago. Yeung then finished fifth with a jump of 1.80m at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, then another 1.81m clearance at the Singapore Athletics Championship in March 2019. Just two months later she tore her right Achilles tendon during practice at the institute and needed surgery, which took her two years of recover from.