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Asian Games postponement prompts Mother’s Day rethink over plan for second child for Hong Kong marathon runner Yiu

  • Christy Yiu and husband Chan Ka-ho had been waiting until after the multi-sport event in September to add to their family
  • But Friday’s announcement that the Games were being delayed until next year has sparked a change of heart

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Christy Yiu (left) with daughter Chan Yiu and husband Chan Ka-ho.  Photo: Handout

Christy Yiu Kit-ching had been putting off having a second child to pursue her dreams of competing at the Hangzhou Asian Games, but on Mother’s Day the Hong Kong marathon runner announced she was abandoning that plan.

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With the multi-sport event now postponed indefinitely because of the raging Covid-19 outbreak in parts of mainland China, Yiu said on Sunday the uncertainty of when the Games might eventually take place had prompted a change of heart.

The 34-year-old Hong Kong marathon record holder had wanted to compete in her maiden Asian Games, but acknowledged that when it came to having a second child, time was not on her side.

Hong Kong marathon runner Christy Yiu warms up before her race at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Photo: SF&OC
Hong Kong marathon runner Christy Yiu warms up before her race at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Photo: SF&OC

“I had planned to have a child after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but then I decided to compete in the 2022 Asian Games and then have the baby,” said Yiu, who is married to fellow athlete Chan Ka-ho.

“I’m not young any more, and Ka-ho is four years older than me, we both want to have two children, so we don’t have much time to wait. I don’t think the Asian Games will be postponed by three months, and I would be waiting for nothing if the Asian Games are eventually cancelled.”

The couple, who married in 2014, already have a daughter, Chan Yiu, who is four years old.

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Christy Yiu, who competed at the Rio Olympics in 2016 but just missed out on a spot in the Hong Kong for last summer’s Games in Tokyo, said the Covid-19 restrictions still in force also played a part in her decision.

Christy Yiu broke the Hong Kong women’s marathon record again last year in May with the time 2 hrs 31 min 24 secs in Italy. Photo: Handout
Christy Yiu broke the Hong Kong women’s marathon record again last year in May with the time 2 hrs 31 min 24 secs in Italy. Photo: Handout
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