FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series: Hong Kong’s Shek Wai-hung wants back-to-back medals after vaulting back into elite
- Shek started the season on a high note in Germany by clinching his first World Cup medal in four years, and is poised for the second leg in Qatar
- His compatriot Angel Wong narrowly missed the final in the first leg but returns to Doha having finished on the podium on her last visit
Hong Kong’s leading vaulter Shek Wai-hung rebounded from a disappointing year with a World Cup bronze medal in Germany last weekend, and hopes to make it back-to-back podiums in this week’s second leg in Qatar.
After battling injuries and ill fortune throughout 2022, Shek returned to action last Sunday in Cottbus, performing his signature routine “Ri Se-gwang” for the first time in a year. In a field full of Olympic and world medallists, he was quick to make an impression, finishing second in the preliminary round.
The 31-year-old then came third in the final with a score of 14.733, behind Armenia’s world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Artur Davtyan, with 15.133, and Iranian youngster Mahdi Olfati, with 14.983.
Carlos Yulo, the world silver medallist from the Philippines, could finish only 12th in the qualifying round, missing out on a place in the final eight.
“I will keep working hard – there is still room to improve on ‘Ri Se-gwang’,” said Shek, who had waited a while to be able to revive it.
He last year finished 22nd at the World Championships in Liverpool after tears to both of his troublesome hamstrings weeks earlier left him unable to perform his signature routine.
It continued Shek’s misfortune in major events after he reached the final of the Cottbus World Cup leg a year ago but was forced to withdraw when he contracted Covid-19.
