Hong Kong triathlon coach eyes cultural shift ahead of Paris Olympics, says LA success the goal
- Andrew Wright says triathlete Jason Ng will not challenge for medals in Paris, with the 2028 Games in America ‘the big one for him’
Head coach Andrew Wright has already begun planning for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, after saying there was “no point in lying” about Hong Kong triathlete Jason Ng’s chances of success in Paris.
Ng only qualified for the Games six weeks ago, and Wright said there was little expectation of him achieving anything greater than bettering the 33rd place Oscar Coggins managed in Tokyo three years ago.
Rather, Wright is focused on his continued overhaul of the city’s triathlon programme, where he has managed to introduce a “high-performance environment”.
While being refreshingly open about Ng’s medal chances in the French capital, Wright said qualifying athletes for successive Olympics showed “we’re moving in the right direction”.
Ng stamped his Paris ticket after a protracted qualifying battle with Ayan Beisenbayev of Kazakhstan, and the 24-year-old lost some of his fitness as a result.
“There is no point lying [about targets for Games], we know for a fact Jason won’t be in contention for medals,” Wright said. “We’re trying to replicate training performances in a high-pressure situation. That would be a win. LA is the big one for him.”
