HONG KONG TRIATHLETES PUT FRIENDSHIPS ON HOLD AS NATIONAL GAMES SELECTION GETS SERIOUS
Head coach Andrew Wright says training together can be a disadvantage, but is optimistic about progress at Chengdu World Triathlon Cup
As Hong Kong's triathletes prepare to suspend friendships in the name of a National Games selection fight, head coach Andrew Wright admitted on Wednesday that it was not ideal for them to be "training under one roof".
The city team will have eight men and three women in Saturday's Chengdu World Triathlon Cup, which is doubling as a selection race for November's Games.
While Cade and Tallulah Wright have travelled to the mainland from Edinburgh, where they had university exams, the rest of the squad have been preparing cheek-by-jowl at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.
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Wright said he had not noticed relationships growing frosty, but acknowledged "there are some disadvantages" to them being in such proximity.
"Part of that is they get to see each other's training, which can be strange," Wright said.
"They're teammates, so they have to get on and create a good environment, but it's an individual sport and they have to beat each other, so that's pretty hard.
"I tell them that if the person next to you is doing well, they'll pull you up to their standard and give you your best result."
Bailee Brown, who was back in training after three operations on an injured finger, will miss Chengdu because of a stomach bug.
"We think she picked it up from open-water swimming, she's been wiped out, so there's no way she can start," Wright said. "She'd bounced back quickly, and her training times were similar to those from before her injury, so it's unfortunate she can't go."
The first male and female Hong Kong finishers in Chengdu will book National Games places, although that is dependent on their also coming home in the top 20 and within 5 per cent of the winning time.
After none of the city team met the selection criteria at last month's Asia Sprint Championships, Wright said he expected progress across the board this weekend.
"That means improving on this year's races, and showing they're fitter than last year," he added. "If they perform how they do in training, and their psychological, physiological and skill profiles hold up under pressure, results will take care of themselves."
With the top mainland athletes all set to compete, and Hong Kong led by star trio Oscar Coggins, Jason Ng Tai-long and Robin Elg, Wright said the men's race would provide a "good early-year comparison of our best versus their best".
He acknowledged there was an element of the unknown about how a threadbare women's team would perform.
The Wright sisters - who are not related to their head coach - arrived in Chengdu on Tuesday. Wright said the pair would have needed a week to recover when they returned to the UK last month, before having "tons of exams, which are very stressful".
"I think they will show progress, but whether they're reaching their full potential is to be seen," he added.
"For this race, they're in the same situation as most of the European athletes ... they should just about recover [from the travel] in time. After Chengdu, they'll be at the Sports Institute all summer."
The other female Hongkonger, Hilda Choi Yan-yin, struggled in the water during three disappointing races last month.
"She did another 400m PB in the pool in training, and she's had good sets in the open water," Wright said. "On the bike and run, she's at a reasonably good level. I'm relatively positive about what she can do."
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
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2025-05-07T23:47:53Z
