Hong Kong Sevens: New Zealand star has extra special reason to enjoy tournament this year
Advertisement
Playing at the new Kai Tak Stadium was only one of the reasons: the trip to the city also reunited her with her father, Nigel Hotham, who moved to Hong Kong last summer.
A renowned rugby coach back home, Hotham Snr accepted a role with local Premiership outfit USRC Tigers and decided to embrace 'a change of my lifestyle' with his wife Dianne, after spending the past three decades coaching in New Zealand.
'We've got five children and they'd all left home, so there was a little opportunity, a little window for me and my wife to travel and do some coaching,' the director of rugby at the Tigers said.
'It's far [from home] but not as far away as Europe, and the bonus of having an experience like this was that we hadn't had the opportunity to travel and watch Jazmin play [because of our jobs], so it's pretty special they're here and we're already here.'
Jazmin, who won an Olympic gold medal with the Black Ferns Sevens in Paris last summer, has played twice before at the Hong Kong Sevens, on top of a school trip with her Hamilton Girl's High School team.
Advertisement
'Hong Kong Sevens is such a historical event, we call it the home of Sevens,' she said. 'There's so much history in that old stadium and this stadium is spectacular, so to play in something built solely for the Sevens is pretty special.'
The 24-year-old added that Hong Kong is 'by far' her favourite stop in the World SVNS Series.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
a day ago
- RTHK
Ferrand-Prevot solos to Women's Tour de France win
Ferrand-Prevot solos to Women's Tour de France win Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (centre) took the overall title by a 3min 42sec margin over Dutch rider Demi Vollering (left). Photo: AFP French rider Pauline Ferrand-Prevot soloed to victory on Sunday in stage nine in the Alps to seal the women's Tour de France title. Olympic mountain bike champion Ferrand-Prevot of Visma, who joined the road racing scene last year, took the overall title by a 3min 42sec margin over Dutch rider Demi Vollering. Last year's winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma of Poland finished third overall at 4min 09sec. The 33-year-old Ferrand-Prevot said she had achieved "the goal of (her) life as an athlete" after sealing victory in the mountains on the border with Switzerland. She adds to her 15 world titles in several cycling disciplines including mountain biking, cyclo-cross and road racing. She becomes the first French rider to win the modern women's Tour de France in its fourth edition. Jeannie Longo won the title 36 years ago in the former race, the Tour de France Feminin. This season, after seven years devoted primarily to mountain biking, she won the women's edition of Paris-Roubaix before focusing on preparing for the Tour. "It was so difficult (this stage). I wanted to win here in the yellow jersey. It's a dream," she said. Bernard Hinault was the last Frenchman to win the 21-day men's Tour de France in 1985 when he claimed his fifth title. (AFP)
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- South China Morning Post
German biathlete confirmed dead in Pakistan climbing accident
German biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died on a mountain in northern Pakistan after a climbing accident at a remote site that rescuers struggled to reach because of bad weather, a local government spokesman said on Wednesday. Dahlmeier, an Olympic gold medallist, was ascending Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range on Monday when she was struck by falling rocks while climbing with a partner who survived. Rescuers were able to confirm Dahlmeier's death on Wednesday but could not retrieve the body because of unfavourable weather, said Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government. Any final decision on retrieving the body would follow the wishes of Dahlmeier's family, Faraq said. A statement on Dahlmeier's social media page said it had been her wish that nobody risk their life to recover her body after an accident. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier offered his condolences to Dahlmeier's parents, writing that she 'was an exceptional sportswoman'. He recalled that he presented her with the highest honour in German sport, the Silver Laurel Leaf, shortly after she won her first Olympic gold medal in 2018. 'Laura Dahlmeier was an ambassador for our country in the world, a role model for peaceful, cheerful and fair coexistence across borders,' he said.
RTHK
5 days ago
- RTHK
Olympic champion Dahlmeier dies in climbing accident
Olympic champion Dahlmeier dies in climbing accident Laura Dahlmeier died aged 31 after being hit by falling rocks on a mountain in Pakistan. Photo: Reuters Germany's two-time Olympic biathlon gold medallist Laura Dahlmeier was confirmed dead aged 31 on Wednesday after being hit by falling rocks on a Pakistani mountain. The dangerous nature of the site made rescue efforts "impossible", her agency said in a statement issued on Wednesday, which confirmed her death. "Rescue efforts to recover her failed and the operation was suspended," the statement continued. The accident happened around midday on Monday at an altitude of 5,700 metres on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range, according to a statement from her team on her official social media pages. Dahlmeier's climbing partner was able to sound the alarm after reaching safety. Dahlmeier, an experienced mountaineer, had been in the region since the end of June and had already ascended the Great Trango Tower. Dahlmeier won seven world championship gold medals, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang she became the first female biathlete to win both the sprint and the pursuit at the same Games. Dahlmeier retired from professional competition in 2019 at the age of 25. (AFP)
