Heartbreak for Hong Kong’s Christy Leung after injury forces her to pull out of the figure skating World Championships
- The 18-year-old is eyeing a ticket to the 2022 Winter Olympics and become the first Hong Kong figure skater to compete in the Games
- Two years ago, Leung beat top mainlanders to become the China national champion, the same year she finished 14th at the Worlds
Hong Kong figure skater Christy Leung Yi has suffered a heartbreaking injury that forced her to withdraw at the last minute from World Championships in Stockholm, where she was hoping to seal her place in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
A statement from the International Skating Union said Leung “has unfortunately withdrawn from the ladies event at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm on Wednesday before the short programme citing injury sustained during practice”.
The 18-year-old Hong Kong star had targeted the Worlds to become the first figure skater from Hong Kong to qualify for next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics, with 24 tickets to the 2022 Games to be handed out when the competition ends tomorrow.
Leung finished came 14th when the Worlds were last held, in Saitama, Japan in 2019 – the same year she defeated all the top figure skaters from the mainland to be crowned China national champion.
The Hong Kong Skating Union posted a statement on social media, saying: “Bad news: We have just received confirmation that Christy has withdrawn from WC2021 due to injuries sustained during official practice.”
A spokesman from the union said it was unfortunate that Leung was not unable to compete because of injury. “She has the quality to make it to next year’s Winter Olympics as she proved at the last World Championships,” he said.
“We knew she twisted her foot during a practice session after her arrival in Stockholm. Leung still attempted to start the event and was ready even at the last minute but unfortunately she could not overcome the injury and had to withdraw.
