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Paul McNamara

Robin Elg will have to bury his competitive spirit on Saturday when he withdraws from the World Triathlon Cup leg in Haikou after the swim and bike legs.
Returning to competition following a stress reaction in his shin, Elg is set to compete for the first time since November’s National Games, where he was part of the city squad’s mixed relay silver medal quartet.
But Andrew Wright, the head coach, is loath to rush an athlete who is expected to vie for honours at this year’s Asian Games, so Elg will quit the Hainan Island race before the competitors embark on their 5km run.
“Pulling out of a race is a very hard thing to do; I think I’m going to have to be there to make sure he doesn’t run, especially if he’s in a good position,” said Wright, who acknowledged it was a unique set of circumstances that had persuaded him to allow Elg to start.
“He’s not had much university, and has just been training for very long periods since the National Games; being part of the team and at an event will give him a lot of motivation,” Wright said.
“Standing on the start line and producing a good swim-bike will add to his confidence, and I think this is the right call.”

Jason Ng Tai-long is further back in his recovery from a similar injury, with his return pencilled in for the Chengdu World Cup leg on May 9, that will act as the first of three selection races for Hong Kong’s Asian Games squad. The others are an Asia Triathlon Cup leg in Lianyungang on May 23 and the mid-June Asia Triathlon Super Sprint Championships.
“Jason is running but there’s a big difference between training and doing a hard 5km off the bike, which is potentially risky,” Wright said.
The individual Asian Games races in September will be contested over the sprint rather than standard distance for the first time; partly, Wright suspects, because of canvassing from countries that have athletes in the following week’s World Triathlon Championship Finals, as well as to enhance the spectator experience.
Wright said the notable trend towards racing over a 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run, instead of covering twice the distance, was “interesting … because I find standard distance races pretty boring most of the time”.
He acknowledged, nonetheless, that the longer form would have “favoured our guys” in the Japanese Games.
“The bike course in Gamagori is so brutal, with so many corners,” Wright said. “Oscar [Coggins] and Robin have so much bike power and their skills are so good that a course like that over double the distance would be pretty beneficial for them.
“We’re not too disappointed, though, we just take whatever comes. It’s still a great course for us.”

After an altitude camp in mainland province Yunnan that he said had been “our best ever training block at this time of year”, Wright is hoping for visible progress in Haikou from an Asia Triathlon Cup race six weeks ago, when Bailee Brown in fourth and seventh-placed Coggins delivered Hong Kong’s best performances.
The city squad of five men and three women are not easing off their training ahead of the race.
“It’s the first time we haven’t tapered for an event of this quality, but I still want people to be competitive,” Wright said.
“In this training camp, I wanted all the key sessions to be hit … then without tapering, lift our performance in Hainan, be part of the race and get a reasonable result.”
Wright said he had no fear over anyone’s confidence being dented if heavy legs limited their performance and result.
“They understand the principle; with athletes these days, as long as everything is presented up front, and they understand what they’re doing and why, then they get the benefits from it,” he said.


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Robin Elg (right) emerges from the water during the National Games individual race last November. Photo: Eugene Lee

The ultra-competitive Robin Elg after the National Games individual race last November. Photo: Eugene Lee

Bailee Brown, here during the National Games mixed relay, will compete in Haikou on Saturday. Photo: Eugene Lee

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Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey wins gold in the women’s 100m freestyle final at the China Open Swimming Championships. Photo: CFP

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Roberto Losada acknowledges supporters before the Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup first leg back in December. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Roberto Losada has no doubts over pursuing the Hong Kong job. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong players celebrate beating FC Seoul to win the Chinese New Year Cup. Photo: Karma Lo

Sport

Hong Kong

Robin Elg will pull out of Haikou event after swim and bike legs, as coach calls for signs of progress from squad following altitude camp


Robin Elg will pull out of Haikou event after swim and bike legs, as coach calls for signs of progress from squad following altitude camp.


Andrew Wright

Robin Elg

Jason Ng Tai-long

Hong Kong triathlete returns to action but set to withdraw during World Cup race in China

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Robin Elg will pull out of Haikou event after swim and bike legs, as coach calls for signs of progress from squad following altitude camp

Robin Elg will pull out of Haikou event after swim and bike legs, as coach calls for signs of progress from squad following altitude camp