Young Hong Kong windsurfing champions share the value of hard work
Choy Wing-tung and Hung King were crowned winners at the iQFOil Asian Championships 2024, overcoming injuries and other struggles.
Choy Wing-tung competes in the Haitong International 2024 Hong Kong Open Windsurfing Championships on October 20, 2024. Photo: Lampson Yip/Clicks ImagesHong Kong windsurfers Choy Wing-tung and Hung King were overjoyed when they were crowned winners at the iQFOil Asian Championships 2024 in Shenzhen in November.
The athletes are both 18 years old. They came out on top of the Under 19 Women’s and Men’s categories, respectively, beating others from around the region.
It’s the result of a lot of training and hard work, King said. “There are many tactics and strategies that I have to plan before and during the race. There might be something unpredictable that you have to face and overcome.”
It wasn’t the first accomplishment for the pair. They also won their respective youth categories for the 2024 Hong Kong Open Windsurfing Championships earlier that month.
Hard work and sacrifice
Wing-tung began her windsurfing journey when she was eight years old. “I signed up for various water sports classes with my dad,” the teen said. She loved windsurfing because it was “more challenging”.
King is considered the best of his age group in Hong Kong. He only started windsurfing around three or four years ago, also thanks to his father.
“My dad brought me into the sport. He tends to motivate me, brings me to different sports, and encourages me to try different activities,” King explained.
The life of a champion windsurfer is hard work. Wing-tung is enrolled at Baptist University, while King is a Year 12 student at Yew Chung International School.
They regularly attend school and complete assignments, then spend most of their weekends training. Usually, they train in Stanley or Tai Mei Tuk. King’s commute to Stanley takes an hour and a half by car, while Wing-tung’s takes an hour.
In addition to long travel times, “The training hours [are] pretty long compared to other sports because we have to break up our equipment and prepare all the stuff before we launch,” King explained.
This leaves them with little free time. Still, they say it’s worth it for their success in competitions.
“If I want to do well in school, I’ve got to sacrifice many other things. I have very little time for myself to hang around friends,” King said.
Olympic dreams
The sport does come with risks. During a difficult competition this past spring, King was disqualified after another athlete crashed into him. Thankfully, he wasn’t injured.
In February, Wing-tung tore her ACL during training. The ACL is a key ligament that helps stabilise the knee joint. She had to stop windsurfing for a few months.
She has been training her legs and working on her strength. Still, she can sometimes get hurt while competing: “I usually get pain during the race, but now I am used to it,” she said.
Wing-tung said that her windsurfing dreams were in question since she was still trying to recover from her injury.
Still, she has her sights set on the highest level of competition. “I would like to go to the Olympics,” she said.
To test your understanding of this story, download our printable worksheet or answer the questions in the quiz below.
tactics 策略
methods or plans to achieve a goal
commute 通勤
journey to and from work or school
sacrifice 犧牲
to give up something valuable to gain something else
stabilise 穩定
to make steady or secure, especially in the context of physical support