Ng Chun-ting, Elton (, born 1978) is a mountaineer, trail athlete and physiotherapist specialising in sports physiotherapy based in Hong Kong. He has been active in mountaineering, orienteering and trail races since 1997.
On 30 September 2016, Ng conquered the Eighth Highest Summit of Mt Manaslu (8,163 metres) --- making him the second person in Hong Kong to succeed in such expedition.
On 12 April 2017, Ng, together with two organ-transplant-recipient athletes from the Hong Kong Transplant Sports Association (HKTSA), embarked on an expedition to the Mt Everest. While he attempts to be the fourth person in Hong Kong to conquer the summit from the Southern Course, this is also to raise awareness to Organ-Transplantation in Hong Kong and sponsorship for HKTSA.
Ng reached the summit of Mt. Everest on 21 May 2017, together with Ada Tsang, a former secondary teacher in Hong Kong. Tsang thus became the first Hong Kong woman to summit Everest.
Life as a sportsman
Born with poor health, Ng grew up in the squatter near a shabby area in Yuen Long that is nicknamed “the big drainage” – the name itself depicted how poor and dirty the vicinity is. The family was subsequently relocated to the public housing estate nearby. Elton developed an interest in photography which transcended into a passion for nature during his earlier years, and that drove him to the trails and hills near where he lived. The view of the farmland and greeneries of Yuen Long back then was mesmerising, and a stunning sunset was guaranteed on a fine day.
Elton joined The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (renamed to The Hong Kong Award for Young People) in Form 3, and gradually sharpened his skills in mountaineering and orienteering. His natural talent in navigation and good memory helped him conquer 250 hills in Hong Kong by the age of 21. He joined the Oxfam Trailwalker in 1997 along with his three secondary classmates, making them the youngest team ever to join the event. The team finished 100 km in a whooping 27 hours.
In 2000, he came fourth in the 1st “Raleigh Challenge - Mountain Marathon” in 2000, his education on sports science and physiotherapy to his training brought him championship in that same race a year after. His achievements in sports earned him a sponsorship by the “Protrek”, an outdoor and sporting goods company. Elton has since remained a sponsored athlete of the “Protrek” to date.
Elton raced intensively and frequently during his earlier years, and was plagued by all sorts of injuries. He adopted a proactive approach in rehabilitating himself and developed his own philosophy of recovery science. He realized he could not engage in one single sports activity like endurance running. He extended his scope to mountaineering, orienteering, rock climbing, ice climbing, snow climbing, triathlon, mountain biking, open water swimming, kayaking, scuba diving, sailing and horse riding, and achieved amazing results in all of these sports. Elton is among the first few all-rounded sportsman in Hong Kong, and he is especially outstanding in orienteering --- 9 times Champion of the elite division of the “Raleigh International Mountain Marathon” and 7 times Overall Team Champion in the “AYP Rogaine 24 Hour Orienteering Championship”.
Elton completed the “Sports Specialist Program of the American College of Sports Science” in 2003 and earned his Postgraduate Degree in Physiotherapy of the “Hong Kong Polytechnic University” in 2004. He is constantly learning and had acquired professional and coaching qualifications in mountaineering, rock climbing, sports climbing, kayaking and sailing between 2000 and 2005. Elton grew up in a humble family, he worked part-time on top of his full-time physiotherapy job during that same period and saved up a decent sum of HK$1.2 million as the startup capital for his first clinic --- the “CORES, Centre of Rehabilitation and Exercise Specialist” in 2006. His private practice did not stop him from engaging in sports and community service. He worked as team physiotherapist for sports teams and races of different sports and origins, the “National Women's Rugby's Team” of Australia, the “World Transplant Games” in Australia, the “World Orienteering Championship” in Denmark and Japan, the practice games of the “Premier League Championships” in London to name a few.
Elton is not only all-time champion in local trail and orienteering races, he came 4th in the “City Chase World Championship” in Italy in 2007; 3rd in the “China All-Rounded Orienteering Championship” in Zhejiang China in 2011 and 6th in the “China All-Rounded Orienteering Championship” in Guangxi China in 2011.