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Paul McNamara

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.”
In the four years since his appointment, Wright has made notable strides in repairing the flawed system he experienced as an elite Hong Kong triathlete.
“This is the first time in a long time that triathlon is going to be able to implement a four-year plan leading up to an Olympics,” Wright said. “We have a group of athletes with the right talent, and attitude, and who will be the right age [for LA].
“Previously, [the association’s attitude] was to not even bother trying to qualify, or to scrape through and keep [triathlon] as an [Hong Kong Sports Institute] A-funded sport.”

Ng is training at altitude in Saint Moritz, Switzerland, with a handful of teammates, and Wright said he would not risk the 24-year-old’s health by tweaking his training programme to cater for the potential axing of the Olympic race’s swimming leg, as concerns over the safety of the River Seine stalk organisers.
Additionally, Wright has “not heard anything” from the city’s Sports Federation and Olympic Committee over whether air conditioning will be supplied for Hong Kong athletes, after Paris officials opted not to install units in Olympic Village accommodation.
“I don’t think any sort of pressure from us has a sway,” Wright said. “Whatever their decision, we will respect it. I have to focus on the things I can control, and let other people do their part.”
Ng is being accompanied in Switzerland by Robin Elg, Mark Yu Shing-him, and Bailee Brown, and Wright believes three of that contingent could compete in LA.
What’s more, whoever makes it Stateside from Hong Kong will be better positioned than Ng right now, and Coggins three years ago, because they “had nobody above them, who’s a better athlete, pulling them along”.
“We’re lacking a lot of big race experience,” Wright said. “Because of Jason’s training age, he’s still a relatively young athlete.
“Growing up in Hong Kong, you don’t have a lot of the training other athletes get, so you’re a little bit behind in terms of your physiology.
“Now, though, we have two Olympians [Ng and Coggins] training with other athletes of a similar ability. The juniors will rise to the same level, because of being in a high-performance environment. Before this Olympic cycle, there was no high-performance environment, because we didn’t have the right level of athlete to demand it.”
Despite being slightly behind fitness wise, Wright said that since arriving in the Alps, Ng’s training has been “super consistent, super smooth … he is hitting all the key parameters”.
Wright and Ng will travel to France on Sunday, then transfer to the Olympic Village on July 26, four days before the Olympic event.
Wright has been told there is a backup race date, in case the Seine’s water quality is unacceptable on July 30. Similar issues second time around would lead to a duathlon, where two running legs sandwich a bike leg.
“There’s not much you can change in training, if you suddenly change your running programme, it massively increases the chance of injury,” Wright said. “Nothing fazes Jason. He’s a humble, very smart, analytical guy. He’s super happy, and thriving off training at altitude.”


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Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Hong Kong triathlon coach eyes cultural shift ahead of Paris Olympics, says LA success the goal

The Los Angeles Olympics are a long-term target for Jason Ng, with a Paris medal out of the question. Photo: Handout.

Ng came out on top from a protracted qualifying battle with Kazakh Ayan Beisenbayev. Photo: Handout

Robin Elg is among the Hong Kong triathletes forming a ‘high-performance environment’. Photo: Elson Li.

Paris Olympics: Hong Kong windsurfers eyeing hikes, oysters and glory in Marseille

Hong Kong windsurfers Cheng Ching-yin (left) and Ma Kwan-ching are used to travelling together. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Ma Kwan-ching (right) competes in the women’s windsurfing iQFoil race at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Photo: Xinhua

Angry Chinese table tennis superfans threaten Paris Olympics protest over squad selection

Wang Manyu has been omitted from China’s women’s singles team for Paris. Photo: Xinhua

China has chosen Sun Yingsha (back) to play in the women’s singles, but not Wang Manyu (front). Photo: Xinhua

Wang Manyu (far left) has lost out to Chen Meng (second right) and Sun Yingsha (far right). Photo: Xinhua

Sport

Outdoor

Paris Olympics 2024

Hong Kong

Andrew Wright says triathlete Jason Ng will not challenge for medals in Paris, with the 2028 Games in America ‘the big one for him’


Andrew Wright says Hong Kong triathlete Jason Ng will not challenge for medals in Paris, with the 2028 Games in America ‘the big one for him’.


Hong Kong Sports Institute

Triathlon

Paris