Hong Kong triathletes challenged to book National Games spots at Asian Sprint Championships
Head coach Andrew Wright says a top-five finish will earn automatic selection, but warns that the standard will be the most competitive ever
Hong Kong triathlon head coach Andrew Wright has challenged his athletes to grab their places on the National Games squad when the city hosts the Asian Sprint Championships next month.
Those who finish among the top five in the men’s and women’s individual races will earn automatic selection to the Games squad, limited to three men and three women for host city Hong Kong – which is exempt from the qualifiers required for all other mainland Chinese provinces, cities and autonomous regions.
“We have the capability [to get those results], which is why we set the target,” Wright said. “We knew this was going to be a tough field, so top five is very hard to achieve.
“But it wouldn’t surprise me if we had a couple of athletes getting the qualification from this race.”
However, the head coach warned that the standard of the pack at next month’s championships would be the most competitive ever.
“This is the first time we are hosting this; Hong Kong is a great place and everyone wants to come and fight,” Wright added.