Hongkonger has eyes on next goal after conquering her demons at Ironman World Championship

Ruby Cheng Wang said she was “overjoyed and empowered” after conquering her fears at last month’s Ironman World Championship in Nice, as the 33-year-old began switching her focus to December’s global half-ironman race in New Zealand.

Hongkonger Cheng survived a choppy swim and steep bike course before overcoming “dead legs” in the marathon run to finish 282nd out of more than 1,300 competitors, 11 months after finishing 317th on her world championship debut in Kona.

Before the race, the 33-year-old had voiced her fears over a 112-mile (180-kilometre) bike leg that featured 2,400 metres of elevation. Cheng covered the distance in six hours, 43 minutes and 36 seconds.

She had emerged from the opening swim in 120th position overall, but rueing a mistake when she sighted the wrong buoy and swam farther than the regulation 2.4 miles.

“I was really angry with myself – swimming is my strongest [discipline] and I shouldn’t have made that mistake, but I had to quickly refocus,” Cheng said.

“You can’t change what’s happened, you have to focus on the present and get your head back in the game.”