Hong Kong triathletes earn sprint relay bronze, say ‘phenomenal’ China now team to beat
City’s leading quartet finish third in Asia Triathlon Sprint Championships amid internal battle for National Games spots
Hong Kong’s triathletes have set themselves the objective of overtaking mainland China, after the city team claimed relay bronze at the Asia Sprint Championships on Sunday.
The dominant Chinese, whose team included Lin Xinyu and Yang Yifan, the women’s gold and silver medallists from Saturday’s individual race, crossed in one hour, 31 minutes and four seconds, after leading from the start on Central Harbourfront.
Their men, Fan Junjie and Zhang Xirui, had been third and fifth, respectively, the previous day.
The Hong Kong quartet of sisters Cade and Tallulah Wright, Robin Elg and Jason Ng Tai-long came home in 1:32.15, two seconds behind Japan, who left out individual men’s winner Takumi Hojo from their team.
A second Hong Kong foursome of Hilda Choi Yan-yin, Oscar Coggins, Charlotte Hall and Mark Yu Shing-him finished seventh in 1:34.24.
Tallulah Wright, who acknowledged the fierce inter-squad competition for National Games selection in November, said while Japan used to be the benchmark “China blew it out of the park, they were phenomenal”.