New Stars

Interview of a sport climbing athlete – Ng Pui Mui

 

Sport climbing is a climbing sport in which athletes fix anchors on natural rock walls or artificial rock climbing walls for protection before they start climbing. In this issue, we have interviewed sport climbing athlete Ng Pui Mui and asked her to share her experiences.

Using both body and mind to break through physical constraints

Physical education was a compulsory subject for Pui Mui at university. She chose sport climbing because she was eager to give it a try after seeing the climbing walls at her university. Although Pui Mui was exposed to sport climbing in her first year of university, she has achieved remarkable results in just a few years. “Sport climbing has fewer physical limitations compared to other sports. Climbers don’t simply depend on their physical strength; they have to rely on their wisdom and skill, and have tacit understanding and mutual trust with their belayers who assist on the side,” she said. Sport climbing is about focus and strategy, and that is why Pui Mui enjoys this sport so much.

Using time well to fit in various kinds of training

Pui Mui is a member of the university team and the community sport club, Climbing Spirit. She trains at least three to four times a week. Other than practicing her climbing skills, she also trains her physical strength, muscular endurance and finger strength. Pui Mui is currently in the fourth year of her university studies and faces both academic and graduation pressure. What makes her even more impressive is that she is also able to take on intensive training in addition to this. As she is passionate about sport climbing and has excellent time management, she is able to enjoy this sport with all her heart and there are no signs of fatigue or stress showing on her face.

Competing in competitions to constantly seek growth

Pui Mui constantly strives for growth and actively participates in various climbing competitions to challenge herself. Looking back at the competitions she has competed in, Pui Mui believes that the 28th Hong Kong Open Sport Climbing Competition at the end of 2016 is her most memorable competition. She achieved great results in this event and was 1st runner-up in the women’s open. As a result of her achievement, she was invited to train with the China Hong Kong Mountaineering and Climbing Union’s 2017-18 Hong Kong team.

Government assistance in the promotion of climbing

Pui Mui believed that the Hong Kong government (especially the LCSD) has provided a lot of assistance for the promotion of sport climbing. For example, the LCSD provides more than 10 indoor or outdoor sport climbing facilities for citizens who are interested in the sport to use. She hoped that the government would continue to fund and co-organise sport climbing events and host more large-scale international events in Hong Kong to expose more people to this sport and let more people know about it.