Chloe Pak Hoi-man’s Pursuit of Excellence in the 4×100 Metres Relay
Chloe Pak Hoi-man has always been a name that resonates with excellence. As a young athlete, she has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible, and now she is setting her sights on another record-breaking performance at the National Games in November. Her focus is on the women’s 4×100 metres relay team, where she and her teammates aim to improve upon the city best they set in May.
At the Asian Athletics Championships held in May, Pak was part of a team that achieved a remarkable time of 44.88 seconds, which marked a new city record. This achievement came as Hong Kong secured seventh place in the event. However, the competition was fierce, with the formidable mainland China team taking the top spot. This highlights the level of talent that Pak and her colleagues will face when competing against provincial teams.
“It’ll be our second big competition as a team, and after we broke the Hong Kong record in May, we really want to advance it again,” said the 19-year-old. “We’ve been to a few mainland events this year and seen the strength of the province athletes … the National Games will be even more challenging for us, but we want to reach the final and maybe even finish towards the top.”
Pak first gained attention when she won gold in the 100m hurdles at the 2022 Asian Under-18 Championships. She further solidified her reputation by breaking Chan Sau-yin’s 34-year-old under-20 city record at the Asian Junior Athletics Championships in South Korea. Additionally, she earned a 4×100 metres relay gold at last year’s Asian Under-20 Championships and competed in this year’s World University Games in Germany over 100m and 100m hurdles.
Inside the 80,000-capacity Guangdong Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Pak will join forces with her record-breaking teammates: Chan Pui-kei, Kong Chun-ki, and Serena Tan Cheuk-man. These athletes filled the top three positions in May’s Hong Kong Athletics Championships and will compete individually over 100m on the mainland.
“We’re working hard on our individual events, which will give us the best possible condition and help us when it comes to our relay,” Pak explained. “Doing well as a team truly means even more. It’s not only an honour to compete for Hong Kong, but our coaches invest a lot of effort in enhancing our techniques and bringing us together.”
As a medical student at the University of Hong Kong, Pak has been focusing on shortening their changeover times while maintaining top speeds during weekly training sessions. The team will spend more time together at camp and competitions this month in Japan, aiming to build stronger bonds and develop a real team spirit.
“We hope to bond more and develop a real team spirit,” Pak said. “All our time together has been spent training, but we’ll have the chance to eat together and hang out.”
Outside of training, Pak enjoys watching Korean medical dramas and listening to Coldplay. She attended Diocesan Girls’ School and acknowledged a small amount of envy over the Hong Kong athletes from eight sports who will compete on their own turf in the Games.
“It would be good … but being able to compete in such a big stadium will be a great experience for us,” Pak said. “There will be a large crowd and very good atmosphere, so we’re really looking forward to that. It’s a big privilege to be going. I’m excited about facing so many top competitors and I hope to learn from them.”
The signs are promising for Pak as she prepares for the competition across the border. She ran her 100m personal best of 11.76 in a National Athletics Grand Prix meeting in Nanjing back in April. Her 13.87 100m hurdles personal best, which remains a Hong Kong under-20 record, was recorded in Nanning in November 2023.
“I’m focused only on competing and getting the best results,” Pak said. “Our relays are on the final days, so we have to stay invested in what we’re doing to prepare. But I’ll try to support the other Hong Kong athletes, and I like watching the top competitors from China performing.”