Sport – not looks – changed my life, says Cecilia Yeung, high-jump star and model who has become one of Hong Kong’s hottest stars
HK high jumper is aiming for the top and hopes she earns respect for her ability rather than her looks
Former Miss Hong Kong Olivia Cheng Man-nga is remembered for her looks and not for her high jump skills – Cecilia Yeung Man-wai is treading a similar path, but hoping for just the opposite.
“I want people to remember me as a track and field athlete, not my part-time work as a model,” said the 22-year-old, who has become one of the hottest celebrities in Hong Kong in recent months.
“Without sports, I would be nothing, probably just an ordinary girl, leaving school after finishing IVE [post secondary] and working as a flight attendant, a job I aspired to when I was young.
“But thanks to sport, my life has completely changed. I can represent Hong Kong in different overseas competitions. I have broken the Hong Kong record a couple of times and attracted advertisers in the commercial world.
Some 40 years ago, Cheng also excelled at high jump, setting a Hong Kong record, before being crowned Miss Hong Kong and moving into the entertainment business.
Two months ago, Yeung shattered her own HK record when she cleared 1.88 metres at a Taiwan meet, and shot to local fame. Local tabloids, not famed for their enlightened feminist attitudes, may focus more on her looks than sporting achievements, branding her “high-jump goddess”, and Yeung has starred in adverts for top brands such as Microsoft and WTT, but beauty pageants are not on the agenda.
