Tiffany Yue Nga-yan (俞雅欣): Hong Kong’s Record-Breaking Long Jump Champion

Born in 1998, Tiffany Yue Nga-yan has emerged as one of Hong Kong’s most accomplished track and field athletes, specializing in the long jump. Her journey began at age five when she was spotted by a track and field coach and won the 60-meter race during her school sports day. In a humorous twist of fate, she had to choose between joining her school’s athletics team or the choir team, ultimately selecting athletics — a decision that would shape her extraordinary athletic career.

Athletic Accomplishments

Tiffany Yue stands as Hong Kong’s long jump record holder with a personal best of 6.50 meters, set at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where she won bronze. This historic achievement made her the first Hong Kong athlete to win an Asian Games medal in athletics that did not come on the track.

Her impressive list of accomplishments includes:

Major International Medals:

• Bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Games (Long Jump)
• Bronze medal at the Asian Championships (Long Jump)
• Bronze medal at the Asian Indoor Championships (Long Jump)

Record-Breaking Achievements: Yue broke the Hong Kong women’s long jump record eight times in a single year, demonstrating remarkable consistency and progressive improvement. Her record of 6.31 meters was initially set in July 2019 at the 30th Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy, where she placed sixth and was the top-ranked Asian competitor, before she eventually improved it to 6.50m.

World Rankings: As of 2025, Yue is ranked #47 in the world for women’s long jump, a testament to her elite status in global athletics.

Athletic Journey and Transformation

Yue’s path to success was not straightforward. She was originally a sprinter but struggled to make progress, leading her coach to suggest trying long jump when she was 15 years old. The former Good Hope School student found the transition challenging and nearly quit athletics altogether. However, just as she was considering giving up, she achieved a new personal best of 5.93m at her last secondary school sports day, jumping from a career-low point to renewed hope.

A turning point came when Yue made significant lifestyle changes, cutting out favorite snacks like instant noodles, chips, and takoyaki. She lost two kilograms and revised her training approach to improve her run-up posture and rhythm. She became more proactive in training, identifying her own flaws and developing solutions rather than relying solely on her coach.

In April 2019, she became a full-time athlete at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, training six days and more than 25 hours per week. Her typical day includes one three-to-four-hour training or gym session, followed by physiotherapy, with athletes focusing on high-intensity work requiring significant rest to avoid joint injuries.

Education and Academic Pursuits

Tiffany Yue graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor of Science degree in Food and Nutritional Sciences in 2022. She strategically extended her university studies to participate in additional Summer Universiades, demonstrating her commitment to both academic and athletic excellence.

Her choice to study nutrition proved highly relevant to her athletic career, providing her with scientific knowledge to optimize her performance through proper diet and understanding of how nutrition affects athletic achievement.

Training Philosophy and Coaching

Yue has been vocal about proving that Hong Kong athletes and Hong Kong coaches can achieve great results, particularly after her Asian Games success reunited with coach Amino Chan. She started her long jump training in 2014 under coach Anny Chan, was admitted to the Hong Kong Sports Institute in 2018, trained under Swedish coach Rolf Ohman for a year from 2022, and then Chan returned as her consultant.

Yue has trained internationally, heading to Britain to work with her coach who had emigrated there, as part of her preparation for major competitions. She spent five months training in London as part of her campaign to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Career Aspirations and Olympic Dreams

Yue’s ultimate goal, like many aspiring athletes, has been to compete at least once in the Olympic Games. Following her Asian Games success, she expressed that it was a significant step forward heading into Olympic qualification, hoping people in Hong Kong would notice that Hong Kong athletics can step onto the podium and toward the world stage.

To qualify for the Paris Olympics, Yue needed to break into the top 32 in the world rankings and match her personal best of 6.50 meters at least three times during the qualification period. Her Asian Games bronze medal success increased her chances of getting budget approval to train overseas, with plans to relocate to the UK for training providing more competition opportunities to achieve better results.

Advocacy and Personal Interests

Beyond her athletic achievements, Tiffany Yue has become an advocate for body positivity and healthy body image, particularly for female athletes. She has spoken openly about experiencing criticism in secondary school about her thighs being “too thick,” explaining that while her thighs are bigger than non-athletes, she wears regular jeans and the criticism reflected unhealthy beauty standards rather than any actual issue with her body.

Yue hopes that athletes can help lead change in the fashion industry, which has long encouraged unhealthy and misleading ideals about body image. She advocates for brands to use athletes or more muscular women as models so people can see what a healthy body looks like instead of presenting unrealistic standards. She believes fashion should bring out beauty in people by having garments accommodate what wearers need, rather than requiring specific body types to fit the clothes.

Yue is involved in mental health awareness initiatives, partnering with organizations to promote mental health month and the importance of mental wellness. She serves as a Community Ambassador for Onside’s Women With Muscles initiative, participating in panel discussions and fireside chats about female athletes and women in sports.

Yue has also worked on science communication, wrapping up a season of “Sci時間,” a broadcasting program with Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) exploring scientific topics.

Recognition and Awards

Tiffany Yue received the Young Trailblazers Award from JESSICA Magazine in 2023, recognizing her achievements and her commitment to inspiring youth to overcome obstacles to achieve their dreams. Her story resonates particularly with young athletes in Hong Kong, demonstrating that dedication, resilience, and strategic training can lead to international success.

Impact on Hong Kong Athletics

Yue has emphasized that long jump and other athletics events receive very little media attention or government support compared to more popular sports such as swimming and fencing in Hong Kong. She believes her Asian Games bronze medal success can help attract more support for her event and hopes to inspire greater interest in track and field athletics.

The Hong Kong long jump team currently numbers only two athletes: Yue and male athlete Harold Ko, down from four athletes previously, highlighting the need for greater development of the sport in the city.

Go Tiffany!