Taking the Leap of a Lifetime

Sometimes, one feeling can best be described when compared with another.

HKUer Rico Cheung Siu Hang’s eyes light up when he tries to explain the exhilaration he feels as a hurdler. “For me, long jump is all about the incredible feeling of flying – it’s pure excitement. But the 110m hurdles gave me the same feeling and amplified it into something far more intense!” he declares.

The Year 5 student, who is majoring in Geography and Urban Planning in the Faculty of Social Sciences, has had a lifetime of experience in track and field, having first started his sporting journey with the long jump in primary school and then switching to hurdles in secondary school.

“In long jump, you take your turn alone, and watch competitors take theirs one by one. In hurdles, the situation is completely changed – you are flying over barriers while racing alongside seven other athletes at the same time,’ he explains. “You cannot make any mistakes. Over those intense 13 seconds, you must maintain hyper-focused, the technical precision, and your emotions. That head-to-head battle is exactly what makes hurdling so uniquely stimulating and challenging.”

That tenacious persistence paid off, eventually taking Rico to the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2021 where he made history as the first Hong Kong athlete to compete in the finals in that competition, delivered some record-breaking performances, and raced one of his idols, the renowned hurdler Sasha Zhoya.

As every athlete knows, the path to success is not always a smooth one, and Rico’s was filled with highs and lows. Very often, he would not make it past the preliminary rounds, or underperform in the finals. He recalls reaching a personal low at the 2025 National Games. “After endless preparation, I tripped on the fifth hurdle and couldn’t finish the race. It was the first time I couldn’t finish a race,” he recalls.

Rico was devastated, but he credits the support from his family and friends for saving him. “That failure completely redefined ‘winning’ for me. Instead of fearing loss, I learned to embrace it. I overcame the pain by trusting my hard work and training, realising that true success means constantly improving and beating my past self,” he says.

He observes that the biggest challenge can be a matter of staying patient and focused because daily training can get very boring. “You have to do the exact same exercises again and again. I overcame this by changing my attitude. I realised patience is everything. Now, I turn the repetition into a game, always searching for one small detail to improve,” he says.

Although these successes gave him the confidence to think of himself as a full-time athlete, Rico felt that he also wanted to push himself further academically. “I’m honoured to have been admitted to HKU in the first cohort of the Top Athlete Direct Admission Scheme (TADAS),” he says.

He chose HKU because he felt it is a world-class university that supports athletes, giving him the perfect chance to study while training at an elite level and the tools to prepare for his future professional career. Academically, he chose to focus on geography and urban planning because he is fascinated by how cities grow and wants to learn about how to protect the environment. “This programme helps me understand sustainable development, which gives me great skills for my future career after sports,” he notes.

Balancing the training demands of high-level sport with academic pursuits remains an ongoing challenge, he admits. “It’s important to manage your limited time and energy every single day. After a long, tiring practice, it’s very hard to stay focused on difficult university assignments,” he explains. His advice to other students balancing studies, sports, and other demands in their university lives? “Make a clear timetable for yourself. However, the real secret is that you cannot just set the schedule – you must actually follow it strictly. Staying disciplined with your time helps you succeed both on the track and in the classroom,” he says.

University life, he reflects, has been holistic and mind-broadening on many levels. “Apart from the intense training schedule and academic work, living in St. John’s College has been the best part of my HKU experience. I met many amazing friends from different countries, which opened my eyes to the world. Hall life really made my university journey so much more fruitful, exciting, and full of joy,” he says. “I am really looking forward to my upcoming internship, field trip, and the exchange programme. These opportunities will let me explore new countries and learn how different cities work in real life. After spending so many years focusing on sports, I am excited to step outside that arena. I want to travel, experience new cultures, and discover more of the beautiful world around us.”

Even though he is still in the process of discovering his exact path forward, Rico believes that sports will still be a key part of his life after graduation. “I know my future is in sports. I want to use my athletic and personal experiences to give back to the sports industry. My goal is to help athletes grow,” he says.

One idea he has in mind is to organise sports workshops that focus on building an athlete’s public image and events that will help lift up the next generation of Hong Kong athletes.” Another initiative he has in mind reflects his belief in the importance of higher education. “A friend and I recently held a forum helping secondary school students apply to universities through sports admission schemes,” he says. “This directly relates to my goal because it empowers young athletes, gives them valuable resources, and helps them build successful futures both on and off the track.”

Reflecting on the question of success, he says: “Success isn’t about the medals you win, but the courage to beat your past self and the passion to build a better future for others.”