PARIS OLYMPICS: HONG KONG WINDSURFER CHENG OVERCOMES PRE-RACE JITTERS IN QUEST FOR MEDAL

• The 25-year-old suffered from anxiety until a psychologist helped address the issue, leaving him 'nervous but excited' about the Games

Hong Kong windsurfer Cheng Ching-yin used to be crippled by nerves before big events but he is now targeting a medal at the Paris Olympics after learning to thrive under pressure.

Bringing in a sports psychologist helped turn things around for Cheng, who still suffers from pre-race butterflies but is directing the energy in a positive manner, according to head coach Chan King-yin.

The windsurfing team begin their Olympic campaign in the southern French city of Marseille on July 28, with the final expected to take place on August 2, and Chan, who won gold at the 2006 Asian Games, said they had been working with Cheng for two years to "handle the stress".

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Aside from working on the mental aspect of the sport, Cheng's lack of familiarity with the competition format and race routes had also contributed to the tension he felt, so his coaches organised more practice regattas.

"He's getting better and better. He is still nervous, but actually, in most races, he can reach the top three," Chan said. "He thinks that he is nervous, but you know, now he thrives under it."

Since working with a sports psychologist, Cheng, now 25, has finished first in the 2022 iQFoil Asian Windsurfing Championships and won bronze at last year's Asian Games.

And in April, at the French Olympic Week-Last Chance Regatta, in Hyeres, Cheng finished fifth out of 50 racers.

"I am nervous but excited because it's like a dream come true [to be at the Olympics]," Cheng said. "My ultimate goal is to get onto the podium ... but there is some hard work to do before I get to the podium.

"The reason I get nervous is because I care and I'm eager to perform. I think it's a good sign that you guys see I'm a bit nervous."

From July 28 to August 1, windsurfers will compete in a qualifying series, with the top 10 competing in a medal series on August 2.

Chan though is not looking as far as a medal, and said the first focus for Cheng and teammate Ma Kwan-ching was to get into the top 10.

The 27-year-old Ma won silver in Hangzhou last September, and said she was looking to outperform her coach's expectations, with a spot in the top eight "a realistic goal for me".

IQFOIL is a windsurfing board that has replaced the RS:X, a daggerboard in Olympic competitions. The new board appears to fly over the water because of hydrofoils at the bottom that lift it at planing speeds.

Ma said she was looking forward to racing on it in Marseille as the board used in France is "fast" and "exciting".

"It's a very fast flying board," Ma said. "If you have to describe it, it's like an arrow, like everything has to follow very specific paths. It's also very exciting."

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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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2024-07-05T01:17:38Z dg43tfdfdgfd