St Joseph's boys hope to spoil DBS party
It may be too much to ask for any team to take the Hong Kong and Kowloon Division One swimming title away from perennial champions Diocesan Boys' School today.
But St Joseph's College boys can at least make sure that not the entire DBS contingent leave Kowloon Park Pool with a smile on their faces.
While DBS look too strong to beat in the Grade B and C categories, it's a three-horse race for the Grade A title, with La Salle College also in the frame.
'We have a great chance,' said Michael Cheung Wing-kin, St Joseph's swimming team's teacher-in-charge.
'It's always very close between us.'
Last year, St Joseph's won the Grade A title with Hong Kong national team member Cheung Kwok-leung scooping up the points in freestyle events.
Now it is the turn of his equally talented brother Cheung Kwok-ting to help his school clinch the crown.
'Kwok-ting swam really well in the heats. I think he has a good chance to win the finals of the 100-metre backstroke and the 200m freestyle,' said Cheung.
The title will almost certainly be decided on the outcome of the relays, worth double points.
'I think the crucial race will be the medley relay. It is a real guessing game between us and DBS about which swimmers will be in which relay team,' said Cheung. 'Myself and the DBS teacher-in-charge are always the last to hand in our team sheets. Neither of us wants to give away any secrets.'
Hong Kong Olympian and Asian Games medallist Robyn Lamsam recalled the inter-school swimming championships as one of the most exciting events she ever took part in. The ex-Diocesan Girls' School freestyle ace was 14 when she competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. She was the only female on Hong Kong's eight-member swimming squad. At the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima, Japan, she won a silver medal in the 4x100-metre freestyle relay and a bronze in the 50m freestyle. She still owns four Hong Kong records (200m, 400m, 800m, and 4x100m freestyle).
But nothing compared with the atmosphere in the annual inter-school competitions, she said. 'It was phenomenal. The buzz really lifted you. With all your schoolmates cheering, you perform really well. Everyone comes together at inter-school events. I loved the team spirit,' said Lamsam, now a public relations executive.
'I had to be really disciplined to juggle school and swimming. But it's not impossible. Time management is important. Swimming taught me that. After school I stopped competing. I wanted to focus my efforts on something different. My advice to the current schoolgirls in the Hong Kong team is to love the sport now, and when you get older, make a decision for yourself.'
