Hong Kong gymnast Chan Cheuk-lam outlines tearful struggle with ‘infections, recovery and injuries’ at World Cup outings
- The 19-year-old pens social media post about last-minute flights, crying during training and completing events despite injury
- ‘I told myself everything would be fine and that there was no pressure. But athletes always want to leave it all out there,’ Chan writes
Hong Kong gymnastics prospect Charlie Chan Cheuk-lam has detailed her emotional roller-coaster journey to the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Cairo this weekend.
The 19-year-old joined teammate Angel Wong Hiu-ying in representing the city in the balance beam at international competitions, but injuries meant her participation was touch-and-go days ahead of the Egypt leg.
“I want to share some feelings here,” Chan wrote in an Instagram post, a day after finishing 13th and 12th in her beam and floor exercise events, respectively.
“This competition is probably one of the most profound. The period from leaving Hong Kong in January to now, I could not train in my usual way due to various reasons.
“I thought at the time that I would definitely miss the World Cup leg. That I’d better do my online classes at home.”
A short-notice injury assessment and call-up meant that Chan, a former Hong Kong junior star who dreams of qualifying for the Asian Games in Hangzhou this September, would be frantically packing her bags for the airport.
