Meet the Hong Kong women’s rugby rookie who is already a veteran and inspiration
Han-Mi is slightly older than the average first-time player, here she tells the Post about her journey from the sidelines to the wing
Three months ago, the closest Han-Mi had come to throwing a rugby ball in anger was passing it to her young son while helping coach the under-8s at Hong Kong Football Club.
A tackle bag, cones and other training items were just something to be put away afterwards – not any more.
On Saturday, she threw herself into a full-contact game for the first time, running out on the wing in a pre-season friendly against Bangkok Belles. It was an experience she admitted beforehand to “not feeling ready for at all”.
In the end, she played the first quarter of the encounter at Happy Valley, which a Football Club side made up of players from the Ice and Fire women’s teams won 35-10.
“I played the first 20 minutes and I made my very first tackle,” Han-Mi said. “I was so nervous, but overall did well for my first time. My teammates were so encouraging, and I’m very happy.”
Twenty-four hours earlier, the personal trainer had said never having “actually tackled a person” was not her main concern at what lay ahead, despite feeling like she was “slowly getting it” following some intense training sessions.