Hong Kong triathlon to abandon ‘ridiculous’ Olympics qualifying route: ‘Never again’
Head coach Andrew Wright is drawing up a stringent National Games selection process, plotting increased participation and club development
Andrew Wright has promised Hong Kong’s triathletes will never again use the “ridiculous” new flag route to Olympic qualification, following Jason Ng Tai-long’s Paris Games nightmare this summer.
Hongkonger Ng earned Asia’s new flag spot as the continent’s highest-ranked triathlete from a region where nobody had qualified by conventional means. The 24-year-old endured a miserable race in the French capital. He withdrew midway through the bike leg, after losing vast ground when his wetsuit was torn during a combative swim in the River Seine.
“At the time, it was awful for Jason, and for me and everyone involved in Hong Kong triathlon,” head coach Wright told the Post. “Now, we can see it was a huge learning experience and revolutionised the sport here.
“I’ve told [all my athletes] we will never qualify again from that ridiculous new flag slot. Anyone who qualifies that way is not prepared to race in an Olympics.
“If you’re having your worst day, which Jason was, and your competitors are having their best days, you still need to be competitive. You need to be that good … so if your suit falls apart, you can still do it.”
In October, Ng told the Post he felt “lost” and “struggled for motivation” after his Olympics experience. Wright said the athlete, who is poised to return to action in the new year, had accepted he “wasn’t at [Olympic] level” in France.
