Law 'on top of world' in fifth place
Hong Kong's Law Hiu-fung narrowly missed a place in the world championship B final in placing fifth in his semi-final in Milan. But Law can still hold his head high, as his performance still ranks as the best by a local male sculler at a senior world championships.
Law, who will now race in the C final which will determine overall placings from 13 to 18th at the championships, completed the 2,000-metre lightweight single sculls event in seven minutes 13.73 seconds.
'The standard was very high and it was extremely tough to keep up with the pace of the leading crews, especially at the start,'' said Law. 'I think I am still lacking power in the first 500 metres compared with those older athletes. I rowed the best race I could today, but I probably need a few more years of training and racing before I can get to the top as senior level.
'My target now is to finish in the top half of the C final, which would be the highest ranking for a Hong Kong male rower at the world championships.''
Fenella Ng Gar-loc recorded the best result by a Hong Kong athlete when she finished sixth overall in the women's lightweight single sculls a couple of years ago.
An exceptionally large entry in the men's event saw three semi-final qualifiers. The first two crews in each race qualified for the A finals, third and fourth for the B finals and fifth and sixth for the C finals. Law made a slow start but gained pace as he moved into the second 500 metres. At the 1,500-metre mark, he was still in sixth place, but a powerful finishing sprint saw him pass Mohammed Aich of Algeria.
Hong Kong's disabled rowers will also be seen in action in he preliminary rounds of the adaptive coxed four event.
