Coronavirus: Hong Kong gymnast Shek Wai-hung still struggling with fitness after catching Covid-19
- City’s top vaulter Shek Wai-hung forced to withdraw from weekend’s Cairo World Cup
- Shek hoping to recover in time for final leg of series in Azerbaijan later this month
Hong Kong’s top vaulter Shek Wai-hung is still struggling to regain full fitness after contracting Covid-19, and is a doubt for the final leg of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series in Azerbaijan at the end of the month.
Shek, who said his form had “dropped dramatically” after he fell ill was forced to withdraw from this weekend’s stop in Cairo, but hopes to have recovered in time to compete in Baku.
The 30-year-old tested positive for Covid-19 on the final day of the Cottbus World Cup on February 27, the first leg of the World Cup series. The test not only forced him out of the German event but also the second leg of the series in Doha earlier this month.
“After nine days of quarantine, my form has dropped dramatically, I have tried my best to recover, but having only seven days from recovery to competition was not enough, I need some time to get back up,” he said.
As Hong Kong’s sole gymnast at the Tokyo Olympics last summer, Shek impressed with his first run of “Ri Se-gwang” jumps before rupturing two ligaments in his left ankle upon landing at the end of his second run.
Less than three months later, at the Kitakyushu World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Shek struggled with the injury and managed only one jump out of two, and did not make the final.
But there were promising signs in Germany last month, where Shek finished third in the preliminary round after performing two “Ri Se-gwang” routines and qualified for the final, before testing positive for Covid-19.