China’s Wu Yanni is one of Asia’s most recognisable athletes, a hurdler known for her speed, confidence and trademark race-day make-up.

Less well known is the person behind her rise: Hong Kong coach Ivan Ho Kwan-lung, who has worked as Wu’s strength and conditioning coach since 2023, and also oversees the development of several of the city’s brightest young sprinters.

Ho, a former Hong Kong Olympian, has spent years trying to narrow the gap between local athletes and their Asian rivals through a more scientific, individualised approach to sprint training.

A Sydney 2000 Olympian, Ho retired after the 2002 Busan Asian Games before moving into education. He later earned a master’s degree in information technology from the University of Warwick, then returned to Hong Kong to study sports science and physical education at the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Institute of Education and the Chinese University of Hong Kong while coaching school teams.

When Ho met Wu in Shanghai on the eve of Chinese New Year in 2023, Ho said he could immediately see that her starting mechanics needed work.

“When I first met her, she did not have a good start,” Ho said. “I began by working with her on strength and conditioning, including lifting and movement patterns, because her mechanics were not quite right. I also helped adjust her starting position.”