Hong Kong triathlon prodigy shrugs off Asian Games passport misery with first senior win

Two-time junior Asian triathlon champion Oscar Coggins is not eligible for this month’s Asian Games because of hold-ups in switching his British passport for a Hong Kong one, but recent competition results suggest the delays may be a blessing in disguise.

Hong Kong-born Coggins, 18, claimed his first senior competition win at the Asian Cup in Kazakhstan over the weekend, a remarkable feat for his age and a huge boost for his 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualification campaign.

“It’s an amazing feeling to win a senior race especially when I’m still technically a junior athlete,” said Coggins, who completed his A-levels at Millfield School in England last month before returning to the city for a triathlon-centred gap year.

He had previously labelled his ascent to the top of the Hong Kong triathlon scene as “beyond comprehension but motivating”.

“I felt good going into the race but was definitely not expecting to win. Over the last few years my results have been getting better and better – from top 10 [finishes] to top fives – but this win came a bit sooner than what we were expecting,” he said.

Coggins closed the race off with a healthy 10-second lead in the final stretch in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Fellow Hong Kong teammate Jason Ng Tai-long also claimed his first senior podium spot with third.