Photo by Shrimpo1967 retouched by Papa Lima Whiskey 2 via Wikimedia Commons
A Hong Kong school teacher set the record as the fastest female climber to scale Mount Everest, People reports.
Tsang Yin-hung, 45, scaled the world’s highest peak from the base camp in 25 hours and 50 minutes. The previous record-holder, Nepali woman Phunjo Jhangmu Lamaset, took 13 hours longer. She set the record with a time of 39 hours and 6 minutes.
“I just feel kind of relief and happy because I am not looking for breaking a record,” Tsang told New York Post. “I feel relieved because I can prove my work to my friends, to my students.”
According to ABC 7, Tsang only made two stops between the base camp and the mountain peak. She stopped 5,300 meters (17,390 feet) and the other at 8,849 meters (29,032 feet), using the stops to change clothes.
The New York Post reports that Tsang tried to scale Mount Everest earlier in May but was unable to do so due to poor weather.
Tsang’s first encounter with Mount Everest took place in 2017 after training as a mountaineer 11 years ago.
“I have always shared with my students and my friends that if you aim high and expect high, you can achieve high,” Tsang told The Jakarta Post.
Tsang was born in mainland China but moved to Hong Kong at the age of 10.
She recalls having no resources as a child, which fueled her passion for sports. Tsang frequently ran on mountains and played basketball.
Although Tsang’s record is an impressive feat for women, it comes amid other record-breaking summits, People reports. Retired Chicago Lawyer Arthur Muir now holds the record for oldest Mount Everest climber at 75 years old. Kami Rita Sherpa, a Nepali climber, broke his own record for most summits. He has now climbed the mountain a total of 25 times.
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