Sports

Reported by Zoey Zhang and Nansen Chen Yik-nam Public voting for the Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards, the city's most prestigious awards for local athletes, started Friday and lasts until March 17. Over 200 nominated athletes gathered at Olympian City on Saturday, calling out to the public for votes. A total of 118 athletes and sports teams were nominated by 54 National Sports Associations, according to the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong. Hong Kong athletes achieved impressive results on the world stage in 2023. Local athletes bagged 53 medals at the recent Asian Games in Hangzhou, including eight gold, 16 silver and 29 bronze medals, ranking 12th among all countries and regions. There has been a 20% increase in the number of nominees compared to the previous year when 96 athletes were nominated, Edgar Yang Joe-tsi, Honorary Secretary General of the federation, said at the press conference. The four categories of awards this year are for men, women, sports combination and team only sport. “We will be happy if we get it, but everyone deserves the reward,” said Joy Hwang Join, a member of the Cheerleading Federation of Hong Kong, who was nominated for the second time since 2022. “We are nervous and scared but happy to be here,” said her teammate Akira Escudero Takato. “For us, it's our second nomination. For Max, it's his third nomination, the first being back in 2004,” said Kenny Chan Ka-kin, referring to cycle-ball teammate Max Ho Wing-tai. “Last year, we ranked third in online voting. We hope to get the first place this year, to a higher level, even the second is acceptable,” said Ho. Winners are determined by votes from a judging panel made up of seven representatives from different associations, which counts for 50% of the score, as …

  Organisers of the annual Standard Chartered Marathon have reminded runners to “closely monitor their post-race physical condition and allow themselves recovery after the race.” The warning came after a 30-year-old participant collapsed at Tin Hau MTR station following the race. There were multiple injuries, according to the Hospital Authority. At 4 pm yesterday, a total of 39 runners had been admitted to hospital, with one death pending investigation and one in critical condition due to heart overload. As of Monday, he is still receiving medical treatment in Ruttonjee Hospital. The Hong Kong, China Association of Athletics Affiliates and Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited stated their deepest condolences to the family of the deceased athlete and offered assistance as necessary. “Overexertion, heat stress, dehydration and cardiovascular issues could all be the cause of death in a marathon," said Dr. Hon Sze-sze, Principal Coordinator of Sports Program at Hong Kong Baptist University, "In order to avoid injuries, we should do foot preparation activities before the race and maintain appropriate fluid intake during the marathon.. If we feel ill, we must stop running  to avoid overexertion,” she added. The Standard Chartered Marathon kicked off at Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui at 6 am on Sunday. It included a full marathon, a half marathon, and a 10-kilometre challenge. Kenyan runner Seroi Anderson Saitoti, 31, won the men's overall full marathon with a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes and 50 seconds. Medina Armino, 26, from Ethiopia won the women’s overall full marathon with a time of 2 hours, 28 minutes and 47 seconds. Local athlete Yiu Kit-ching, 35, performed very well with a time of 2 hours 41 minutes and 9 seconds. Local runner, Wong Kai-lok, 28, said the route of the Standard Chartered Marathon is　mostly mountain roads, which are more …