Former champion cyclist Hung Chung-yam shows he is still competitive at 52
Former champion cyclist proves he can still compete at a high level at the age of 52
The competitive fires still burn bright in former Hong Kong cycling champion Hung Chung-yam. The 52-year-old former Olympian is proving age is no hurdle as he shows the younger generation a thing or two.
Hung recorded a personal best two hours, 45 minutes and 25 seconds when he finished third in the men's masters yesterday. Hung finished just in front of Christy Yiu Kit-ching, one of Hong Kong's best women's distance runners.
"I put in a lot of effort for the event this year, training more than 200 kilometres a week sometimes, but the impressive result did surprise me a bit," said Hung, a seven-time Hong Kong champion before retiring from cycling after the 1997 National Games in Shanghai.
"I started serious marathon training three or four years ago. If I did it when I first finished my cycling career, the result may have been even better. But it's never too late as long as you want to make a change," said Hung, who also tried his hand at shooting but found it wasn't his style.
"I tried distance running just for interest and as my results improved race by race, I started spending more time on it," said Hung, a senior manager at an insurance brokerage.
