Wong braves pain barrier to keep cycling

Days after she suffered a fractured rib in a spectacular pile-up on the track, Hong Kong's "miracle" cyclist and silver medallist Wong Wan Yiu is back on the saddle and eager for more glory.

Wong finished a lowly eighth in Saturday's individual road time trial at the Asian Games, but said she was just happy to be competing after a huge crash four days earlier that left another Hong Kong rider with a dislocated shoulder.

"It still hurts when I take deep breaths," said Wong, who sobbed in pain as she stood gingerly on the podium to collect her silver in the incident-packed women's points race last Tuesday.

"I've dedicated myself to this competition for such a long time," she said of the Games, adding, "The crash has inspired me to carry on."

Wong is scheduled to take part in the individual road race on Tuesday, but is not aiming high. "I managed to finish the race, so it was not too bad," she said after the time trial.

"I have achieved my goal." Her coach, Shen Jinkang, had called the 24-year-old's silver-winning display a "miracle" after she was sent flying off her bike and smashed in the ribs by another cyclist as she lay prone on the track.

But she got up, picked up her bike and managed to finish in second. She was later taken to hospital in a wheelchair.

First Published: Nov 21, 2010 11:08 IST