Hong Kong pair hope half-marathon finishes can give their Asian Games dreams a boost
Gi Ka-man and Crystal Vut both finish on the podium, and in the twilight of their careers are chasing one last hurrah in Japan this September
Hong Kong's best half-marathon finishers said they hoped to have given their Asian Games dreams a boost on Sunday, despite neither winning their respective races.
China’s Chen Yufan won the men’s 13.1 mile run at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon in one hour, seven minutes and 56 seconds, while Rachel See, a last-minute entry from Singapore, crossed the line in 1:20:56.
Gi Ka-man was the first Hongkonger over the line, claiming third place in 1:09:32, 12 seconds behind Taiwan’s Hsu Li-hung. Compatriot Crystal Vut Tsz-ying was second in the women’s race.
The 41-year-old Gi, who plans to run half and full marathons over the next several weeks, said 2026 would be his last year to “run seriously,” but he still had one major goal left.
“There’s the Asian Games this year, so the target is obvious, I want to compete in the marathon event in Nagoya,” he said. “Whether I can do it or not, I want to give it one last push.
“I was either injured or had Covid delaying the Games previously, but I’ll just try my best and won’t give myself too much pressure. I’ll run with a calm and normal state of mind.”
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