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China National Games: Vera Lui wants medal missing international events amid pandemic
- Athletics will see 16-member squad in Xian as Hong Kong launches medal challenge when events start on Monday
- Star attraction will be Guangdong sprinter Su Bingtian who set new Asian record 9.83 seconds in Tokyo Olympics
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Hong Kong hurdler Vera Lui Lai-yiu has firmly set her sights on winning a medal at the China National Games to make up for a disappointing year that saw her competition schedules severely interrupted by the pandemic.
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The 2018 Asian Games bronze medallist in the women’s 100 metre hurdles failed to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after she was unable to attend a number of overseas events earlier this year because of the enforced break caused by Covid-19.
Instead, the 26-year-old only raced a few times in local meetings, which was less ideal for an ambitious hurdler who felt she deserved to compete in Tokyo.
With the National Games athletics events kicking off at the Xian Olympic Sports Stadium on Monday, Lui will be trying to make amends for lost time and the lack of competition by taking part in her biggest competition of the year.
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“She likes to challenge athletes from different areas and the National Games will provide an ideal stage for her. She hasn’t competed in many international competitions this year because of the pandemic, so she is raring to go at the National Games,” said her coach Tang Hon-sing, who is also Hong Kong’s team manager for track and field to Xian.
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