Hong Kong Marathon: rising star Wong Cheuk-ning tipped for glory by defending champion
- Runner-up in 2021, the 22-year-old is favourite to be the first local woman to finish Sunday’s race
- Christy Yiu, who is expecting her second child in April, is unable to defend her title
Rising star Wong Cheuk-ning has been tipped to be the first local female to cross the finish line at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on Sunday, after winning the city’s 10k championships last month.
Marathon record holder Christy Yiu Kit-ching, who won the 2021 race in the absence of overseas runners but won’t defend her title because she is pregnant, said the 22-year-old’s “outstanding” form made her the favourite.
Wong, who first ran in the flagship event in the 10k race in 2018, finished second in her first city marathon two years ago in 2 hours 43 minutes and 17 seconds, one place and four minutes behind Yiu.
“We all know the Hong Kong Marathon is the biggest running event here, and I remember being very nervous the first year I ran this mega event,” Wong said.
“However, after setting a personal best in the 10k that year, I was inspired to continue running long distances.”
Yiu, who is expecting her second child in April, said Wong’s decision to switch to training full time had increased her chances of “succeeding me for first place this year”.
Wong, who holds the city’s records at under-20 level at 10,000m and half-marathon, started the year by winning the Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong 10K Championships with a personal best of 36:26, and followed that up by winning the 5,000m at the preseason trials the following week in Wan Chai.
The Hongkonger said she would run with “no pressure” on Sunday, because it was a warm-up for the Seoul Marathon next month.
“The road in Seoul is flatter and has more comfortable weather, so I’m not going to push myself too hard on Sunday,” Wong said.
Her main goal this summer is to run a half-marathon at the World University Games in Chengdu, for which she has already qualified, and to qualify for the Asian Games.
“Kit-ching’s Hong Kong record [2:31.24] is at a different level for me, but I’m still young and have time to get close to it step by step,” Wong said.
When it comes to this Sunday, Yiu will cheer not only for the women’s marathon but also for her husband, Chan Ka-ho, who will defend his half-marathon title.
The 38-year-old finished the 2021 race in 1:08.55, but said he did not know if he could match that achievement, despite posting a 1:08.39 at the geo City Half Marathon in Japan two months ago.
“To be honest, I’m not as fit as last time, some foot injuries coming up the last few months, not sure if I can run a better time with the field very challenging this year,” he said.
