Monday, December 01, 2014
A hearing-impaired Macau civil servant has been crowned Hong Kong’s new Ironwoman.
First-time participant Lorna Hoi won the second New World International Triathlon while Ivan Lo Ching-hin, a professional athlete and trainer, improved on his last year’s fourth finish to lift the title in the men’s category.
A total of 400 people aged from eight to over 50 competed in the triathlon.
Hoi, 30, took one hour and 45 minutes to swim 1,200 meters in Victoria Harbour, cycle 32.27 kilometers at Princess Margaret Road Link and Salisbury Road, and then run 7.58km along Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade.
She learned to swim when she was a child and started to train for the three sports when she was in university.
Cycling is her favorite among the three categories, “because it is least exhausting,” she said.
Hoi’s mother said being hearing impaired does not affect her sports performance but increases danger as her daughter will not know when other people are coming close to her.
Lo, 25, finished the triathlon in one hour and 34 minutes.
He said it took him 4 weeks to prepare for the triathlon.
“I took a break after the Asian Games before training for this race.”
He came in fourth at the inaugural triathlon last year.
“The waves were very big, ” he said of swimming in Victoria Harbour. “The water was not cold. It’s about the same as last year.”
Former Olympian Daniil Sapunov of the Ukraine was first runner-up in the top men’s category while compatriot Yuliya Yelistratova, who an Olympic athlete, was second runner-up in the women’s category.
A Swedish family based in Hong Kong scooped two medals.
Tove Lieberz came second runner- up in the turbo challenge for ages 35-59, while her nine-year-old son, Louis Lieberz, was first runner-up in the aquathlon for boys 8 -12.
QI LUO
If you’d like to train for triathlons here in the Los Angeles or Long Beach area you can check these places out: LA Tri Club or prepare for the Long Beach Triathlon coming in August 2015. And if you’re Deaf and would like an interpreter for any of these events, give us a call and we’d be glad to help.
