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Personality, results clinch top award

School record-holder Ricco Chan Ye-ko is on track to become a full-time athlete, writes Jonathan Powell

If being the best you can be is as much about attitude as results, then it's no wonder Student Sportsperson of the Year Ricco Chan Ye-ko is ahead of the field.

The judges - John Fan Kam-ping, chairman of the Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation, and Fay Ho Kim-fai, executive director of the Hong Kong Sports Association for the Mentally Handicapped - noticed something special about the 17-year-old triathlete that made him the obvious choice.

'Ricco is a strong all-round sportsman, but he wasn't the strongest candidate on paper, yet in the interview he showed he is very clear about his targets and what he expects of himself,' says Ms Ho. 'He made a very strong impression that he is the kind of person who would make a good role model. His personality won it for him as much as his results.'

Clinching the award is even more remarkable in that the Form Five student from La Salle College has been balancing his swimming, cycling and running training with preparations for his HKCEE exams this year.

'Winners of the award in the past two years have been very successful athletes at international level, so I didn't expect to win and was quite excited when I found out,' says Ricco. 'I know the HKCEE is very important because it is the ticket to Form Six, but I wanted to keep up my strength, so I have been training about 10 hours a week as well.'

Ricco says he hopes to study sports science and physical education at a university in Hong Kong.

Ms Ho says if Ricco can keep up his high standards, he could put himself in a strong position to become a full-time athlete.

'He has a long way to go, but if he can stay focused and consistent, he has a great chance,' she says.

An especially powerful runner who holds school records at 1,500 metres and 3,000m, Ricco had an extraordinary 2003, which saw him represent Hong Kong in several events around Asia, and at the World Triathlon Championships in New Zealand. Out of 15 races in 2003, the teenager from Sha Tin finished first in nine and second in three when up against some of the fittest juniors in Asia.

His gold medal triumphs included wins in the highly regarded Asian Triathlon Cup series in Thailand, Macau, the Philippines and Hong Kong.

This year he finished first in the junior categories of the Standard Chartered Marathon 10km race and Power Bar Action Sprint on Lamma Island, and has won two Hong Kong duathlons (run and bike).

'In the interview the judges told me to relax and talk about my goals. I talked about my plans to compete at the All-China Games next summer, which is a big chance for me. After that there is the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. I just want to keep improving and get the experience I need to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics,' says Ricco.

The runner-up was Chiu Ka-kei of Belilios Public School - the top-ranked girls' squash player in Hong Kong.

'Ka-kei gave a very fluent presentation and she has thought about her future,' Ms Ho says. 'It was very close between first and second.'

Student Sportsperson

Winner: Ricco Chan Ye-ko

Age: 17

School: La Salle College

Achievements: Winner of nine races in 2003, including four Asian Triathlon Cup series races in Thailand, Macau, the Philippines and Hong Kong. Competed at the World Triathlon Championships in New Zealand in December, and was selected Hong Kong Sports Development Board's Outstanding Athlete for the first quarter of 2003. This year, he placed first in the junior categories of the Standard Chartered Marathon 10km race and Power Bar Action Sprint, and won two Hong Kong duathlons (run and bike).

Runner-up: Chiu Ka-kei

Age: 16

School: Belilios Public School

Achievements: Welsh Junior Open under-19 champion 2004, French Junior Open under-17 champion 2004, represented Hong Kong at the World Junior Women's Squash Championships 2003, placing seventh, and the Asian Junior Championships 2003, third, Australian Southern Regional Championships under-17 champion 2003, Hong Kong Schools Grade A individual champion and team champion 2004, Hong Kong Junior Squash Closed Championships under-19 champion 2003.

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