Hong Kong Olympian Oscar Coggins in ‘best place ever’ before China world championship race
Coach Andrew Wright says city’s triathletes will find it tough in Weihai but is confident they will be competitive at 2028 Los Angeles Games
Andrew Wright said a rejuvenated Oscar Coggins was “in the best place he’s ever been”, ahead of a return to elite triathlon competition for the Tokyo Olympian this week.
Earlier this year, Coggins acknowledged he was “starting from ground zero” following a “crushing” 18 months featuring physical and mental issues that culminated in the 24-year-old withdrawing after the swimming leg of last September’s Asian Games race.
He ended a six-month racing lay-off in March, and last month was 13th at the world university championships in Poland.
On Friday, Coggins will take a major step on his comeback trail when he competes in an “Olympic-level” field, along with fellow Hongkongers Robin Elg and Mark Yu Shing-him, at the World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) race in Weihai.
Alex Yee, Hayden Wilde and Leo Bergere, the top three from this summer’s Paris Olympics, will all be on the start line, as mainland China stages a WTCS leg for the first time since 2011. Bailee Brown is in a loaded women’s race, too.
Head coach Wright acknowledged his athletes would be “out of their depth by a long way”, but, given the choice, all four were eager to compete and “to try to perform how they do in training in a very high intensity race with the world’s best athletes”.
