Shannon Chan’s triple jump gold keeps flag flying
Hong Kong jumpers have continued to excel at the Thailand Open Track & Field Championships, with Shannon Chan equalling her city record to win the triple jump.
The meet had begun with Hong Kong athletes taking gold in the men’s and women’s long jump and the women’s high jump, and there was more of the same on Wednesday as Chan leapt 12.87 metres on her fifth jump to claim her first overseas senior title.
Chan, who had abandoned the long jump the previous day to focus on her favourite event, made a solid start with 12.56m.
Following jumps of 12.72m and 12.63m, the 24-year-old posted a fourth leap of 12.74m to threaten her city record, set at the Hong Kong Athletics Series 3 in May.
That mark was duly equalled by her fifth jump before she finished with 12.67m.
“It means a lot to me – it shows that I can continue with my passion for triple jump,” Chan, a PE teacher, said. “I’ve just started working as a full-time teacher and am still figuring out how to balance work and training.
“Jumping 13 metres is my next goal, and I hope to jump further to catch up with the best in Asia.”
Chan’s previous international competition had been at junior level, in the 2018 Singapore Open, but her first place this week added to a strong meet for the Hong Kong jumpers, some of whom spent early summer training and competing in Portugal.
Hurdlers Rico Cheung Siuhang and Shing Cho-yan added third-place finishes, giving the city a total of 12 medals: four golds, three silvers and five bronzes.
Cheung, 20 – who last year became the first Hong Kong athlete to reach a World Under-20 Championships final – clocked 14.59 seconds in the men’s 110m hurdles.
“My form is quite good after three months of winter training,” the University of Hong Kong student said. “This is a good meet for me to test my training results, especially since my coach added some new techniques.
“This is my first overseas senior medal, and it’s so valuable to compete against hurdlers from different parts of Asia, especially because I expect to have a busy year of competitions ahead in 2023.”
Shing, too, finished third, with a personal best of 13.77 seconds in the women’s 100m hurdles. Dina Aulia of Indonesia finished first in 13.54.