Ni Wenling
Dr. Malina Ngai Man-lin is a former Hong Kong track and field and rowing athlete. After retirement, she worked at the Hong Kong Sports Development Board and joined Hutchison Whampoa Limited in 2000. In the same year, she was selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Hong Kong. She is currently the Group CEO of A.S. Watson Group and was appointed as a Justice of the Peace by the Hong Kong Government in 2012. In terms of public service, she was a former board member of the Hong Kong Sports Institute, Vice President of the Hong Kong Elite Athletes Association, Honorary Advisor of the Hong Kong Sports Association for the Mentally Handicapped, and former Vice Chairperson of the Outstanding Young Persons' Association.[1] Ngai was the first Hong Kong athlete to receive a government scholarship to study Sports Administration in Australia and was awarded the Best Student Sports Administrator Award.[2]
Ngai was one of the presenters for the Sydney 2000 Olympics at Asia Television and was also involved in commentary work for the 2008 Beijing Olympics at Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB).
Biography
Malina Ngai was born in Hong Kong, and attended Maryknoll Convent School in her early years. In 1981, a physical education teacher introduced her to an athletics club and invited classmates to attend training. Initially shy, Ngai took three weeks before attending her first track and field lesson. She quickly fell in love with the sport and, through natural physical talent and hard work, achieved excellent results. From 1985 to 1987, she was named Best Female Athlete in her school and Best New Female Athlete by the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association for three consecutive years. In 1984, she represented Hong Kong for the first time in the Philippines Open and won her first international gold medal. In 1986, she broke Hong Kong youth records in shot put and heptathlon and also set a new national record in discus throw. The following year, she broke the Hong Kong discus record five times.
In 1988, just before the A-level exams, she participated in Olympic trials in javelin. Despite fatigue and lack of focus, she achieved a personal best in her first two throws and gave her all for the third. However, she collapsed during the throw, and it was confirmed that she had torn her left anterior cruciate ligament. Doctors said it would be difficult for her to achieve further breakthroughs in athletics. That year, she did not achieve university entrance scores in public exams, but was offered the government's first overseas sports management scholarship program. With strong recommendation from the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association, she became the first Hong Kong athlete to study abroad under scholarship. From 1989 to 1991, she studied Sports Administration at the University of Canberra while continuing training. In 1989, she was named Athlete of the Quarter by the local athletics association. In 1991, she again broke the Hong Kong discus record in Australia and was awarded the National Sports Administration Scholarship and the University Medal for Academic Excellence in 1992. Before returning to Hong Kong, Ngai underwent surgery to reconnect her ligament and recovered faster than expected. However, psychological barriers prevented her from ever picking up the javelin again.
After graduation, she returned to Hong Kong. At the time, the Hong Kong rowing team coach was seeking talented athletes. Despite not being a strong swimmer, Ngai took the challenge. In 1992, she joined the Hong Kong rowing team and won silver in double sculls at the 1993 Asian Championships. In 1994, she earned a bronze medal in double sculls at the Hiroshima Asian Games. During this period, she also worked as a Recreation and Sports Officer at the Hong Kong Sports Development Board.[3]
Ngai's younger brother is renowned volleyball coach Ngai Chun-kwan, a PE teacher at Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Secondary School and currently head coach of the Hong Kong men's youth volleyball team.
Honors
- Athletics
- Best School Athlete, Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation: 1985–1987 (3 consecutive years)
- Best Youth Athlete, Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association: 1985–1987 (3 consecutive years)[4]
- South China Morning Post Best Student Athlete: 1988
- Rowing
- Silver Medal, Asian Rowing Championships: 2003
- Bronze Medal, Hiroshima Asian Games Double Sculls: 2004 (with Tsang Hiu-yuk)[5]
- Personal
- The Visionary Women Awards 2024, Harper’s Bazaar
https://www.harpersbazaar.com.hk/lifestyle/Visionary-Women-Awards-2023
- Executive of the Year 2023, BW Confidential
https://www.bwconfidential.com/bw-confidential-recognizes-a-s-watson-and-malina-ngai-at-the-beauty-party-in-cannes/
- Executive of the Year 2023, Stevie International Business Awards
https://watson.aswatson.com/asw-pulse/as-watson-celebrates-resounding-success-at-international-business-awards/
- Most Successful Women 2023, Jessica Magazine
https://www.jessicahk.com/msw2023-malina-ngai
- Best Student Sports Administrator Award, Australian Sports Administration Association: 1991
- Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Hong Kong: 2000[6]
References
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%80%AA%E6%96%87%E7%8E%B2#cite_ref-1
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%80%AA%E6%96%87%E7%8E%B2#cite_ref-2
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%80%AA%E6%96%87%E7%8E%B2#cite_ref-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E4%BA%BA%E5%90%8D%E9%8C%84_3-0
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%80%AA%E6%96%87%E7%8E%B2#cite_ref-4
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%80%AA%E6%96%87%E7%8E%B2#cite_ref-5
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%80%AA%E6%96%87%E7%8E%B2#cite_ref-6