Christy Leung Yi (center) with her coaches at the 2018/2019 Chinese National Figure Skating Championships.Hong Kong figure skater Christy Leung-yi won a historic gold at the 2018/2019 Chinese National Figure Skating Championships in Harbin, China, on Sunday.
The 16-year-old came out on top against a field of 18 contestants across China with a total score of 190.17, ten points ahead of the second runner-up, to claim the Hong Kong’s first ever national championship medal in figure skating.
Held at the Tianrun Skating Gymnasium in Harbin, the two-day tournament began on Saturday with the short program, in which Christy earned 65.93 points and for a second place finish. In the free skating event yesterday, the US-based Hong Kong skater was awarded 124.24 points for executing difficult jumps, spins during her captivating performance. She was ranked number one by the end of the two events.
“Winning a historic medal for Hong Kong is only one of the milestones in Christy’s career. I’m sure she will create more remarkable moments for Hong Kong’s figure skating history,” said Yip Siu-yin, Chairman of the Hong Kong Skating Union.
This national champion title is only one of Christy’s notable achievements over the years. She also made figure skating history for the city in 2016 when she walked away with bronze at The 13th National Winter Games in Xinjiang. Last year, she also finished in 9th place at the 2017 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, becoming the first Hong Konger to reach top ten at an International Figure Skating championship.