With the National Games athletics events kicking off at the Xian Olympic Sports Stadium on Monday, Lui will be trying to make amends for lost time and the lack of competition by taking part in her biggest competition of the year.

“She likes to challenge athletes from different areas and the National Games will provide an ideal stage for her. She hasn’t competed in many international competitions this year because of the pandemic, so she is raring to go at the National Games,” said her coach Tang Hon-sing, who is also Hong Kong’s team manager for track and field to Xian.

“That’s why Vera was more than willing to complete a 21-day quarantine in Shenzhen because she was desperate for good level competition.

“She had been preparing for the Olympic qualifiers from late last year but as you know it didn’t happen for her and the Xian event will finally be show time for her. Lui came seventh at the last Games in Tianjin four years ago. We are hoping for a better result this time around.”

Because of a serious lack of international competition this year, Lui’s seasonal best stands at a modest 13.49 seconds set at the Hong Kong Championships heats at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground.

Wang Dou, of Jiangsu, who Lui beat in the 2018 Asian Games final, has clocked 13.02 seconds, while Wu Yanni, of Sichuan, tops the list on 12.87.

Hong Kong is sending a 16-member athletic squad to Xian that includes women’s high jumpers, Cecilia Yeung Man-wai, Tiffany Tang Yi-ching and Priscilla Cheung Ching-laam, long jumpers Yue Yaxin and Chan Ming-tai, marathon runners Christy Yiu Kit-ching and Wong Wan-chu and sprinter Chan Pui-kei.

The two Tokyo Olympians – hurdler Chan Chung-wang and race walker Jessica Ching Siu-nga – have given the National Games a miss.

Hong Kong captured a silver medal at the 2001 Games in Guangzhou through the men’s 4x100 metre relay with coach Tang one of the four members, while Tang Yik-chun came third in the men’s 200 metres in the Nanjing Games four years later.

Su, 32, has become the leading figure in Chinese athletics following the retirement of former world record holder Liu Xiang in the men’s 110 metre hurdles.

Su is not expecting tough competition in his favourite event with Xie Zhenye, from Zhejiang, the only other Chinese sprinter who has run under 10 seconds in the 100 metres.

Xie, who set his personal best of 9.97 seconds in France in 2018, is more favoured in the 200 metres.

Other top Chinese track and field stars also who will feature in Xian, include the two Tokyo Olympic gold medallists, Gong Lijiao, of Hebei, in the women’s shot put and Shandong’s Liu Shiying in the women’s javelin throw.