Firefighter, ice climber win bun-scrambling contest
Jason Kwok defended his title as "Bun King" and ice climber Janet Kung won the title of "Bun Queen". Photo: RTHK
Nine male and three female finalists clambered up a 14-metre tall bun tower at the same time. Photo: RTHK
The Cheung Chau bun festival has wrapped up with its main event on Tuesday - the midnight bun-scrambling competition.
Ten-time champion Jason Kwok defended his title as "Bun King", and ice climber Janet Kung won the title of "Bun Queen".
Nine male and three female finalists clambered up a 14-metre tall bun tower at the same time. Those climbers who filled their bags with the most buns in three minutes won the most points.
Kung, 31, also claimed the title "Queen of Bun Queens" after her third victory.
"Earning this title is a milestone for me, after participating in this game for nine years," she said.
"I will continue joining the bun-scrambling competition. It's a sports event that I have to join every year. It is just like a report card of my fitness and attitude every year, and see whether I've improved. So far I've been improving."
Firefighter Kwok said he didn't expect to win as a Bun King again this year.
"My opponents are tough. I was worried that they would take the win. At my age, it's the taking part that counts. I'm just happy to be here," he said.
He said his winning strategy was to climb fast to the top and snag those nine-point buns before others.
Over 100 people queued early to get free tickets for the event. One attendee surnamed Cheung said he arrived at 5 am on Monday.
"I want a good spot. I've been watching the contests for more than a decade," he said.
"I'm not a Cheung Chau resident, but after all these years, it's just second nature. If I skip watching it, I get this itch. It's like catching up with old friends every year. No matter how long it takes to stand in line to watch the event, I don't care. I can tough it out."
The Cheung Chau Bun Festival traces its roots to a ritual for people to pray for safety from a plague.
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