Advertisement
Advertisement

athlete of the week

Kevin Kung

Name Angel So Ka-he
School St Stephen's Girls' College
Grade Form Seven
Sport Lawn bowls

Achievements

Angel, 18, is a member of Hong Kong's youth squad and captained the team from 2008 to 2009.

She is captain of her school lawn bowls team, which was formed only after this year's Lunar New Year holiday. They surprised everyone by taking second place in May's Inter-School Lawn Bowls Competition. Angel also came second in the 2009 and 2010 U-25 Lawn Bowls Championship.

She was part of the Hong Kong youth team that won the Ladies' Plate at the Tiger Bowls International World Invitation Tournament in Hong Kong in March. She also won a team bronze at May's China Inter-Port competition and also represented Hong Kong at the 2009 Asian Bowls Championship and Hong Kong International Classic in 2009 and 2010.

Soundbite

'This summer I started working out at the gym to strengthen my legs. When we bowl, we bend our legs. To control the ball, we must have strong legs so that they don't shake at the point of release,' Angel says.

'I joined Hong Kong's junior squad when I was 12. At that time, I thought I'd be playing as a junior for many years because any player aged under 25 is called 'junior' in lawn bowls. But time flies. Six years have passed and I have only about six or seven years left. So I think I must work harder in local tournaments that offer ranking points and fight for a chance to join the senior squad.'

'Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association celebrated its Golden Jubilee in March. Up to 52 national champions will compete at the World Singles Champion of Champions event in Hong Kong. They have been invited to play in the Golden Jubilee Mixed Pairs Classic. I am so excited to be playing in this tournament. I will partner a veteran player from Australia. After the tournament, I will have a six-month break to prepare for my A-level exams.'

From her coach

'Angel is a diligent player and more mature than others her age,' says Arthur Yiu Kwok-kuen, Hong Kong's national junior squad coach. 'We stress how important discipline is and Angel sets a really good example for the others. She is quite calm in matches, but still needs more practice to improve her balance and stability.

Ambitions

'I look forward to playing in next year's inter-school event,' says Angel. 'My school team has doubled in size to nearly 20. All of them will be fighting for a place. I hope I can get in after my break.'

Post