Hayley Chan Hei-man praised her university yesterday for giving her a year's sabbatical which allowed her to clinch the ticket to the London Olympics.
Chan, 20, was preferred to veteran Vicky Chan Wai-kei, who took part in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, after three rounds of selection starting from December's ISAF world championship in Perth.
But Hayley Chan's quest started in earnest a year ago when she was allowed to suspend her studies at the University of Hong Kong so that she could train full-time.
'I am totally exhausted,' she said. 'It has been such a stressful month, but I am very happy I have won the selection.
'I am thankful to the University of Hong Kong for giving me the flexibility in my studies and support to fully prepare for the selections and the Olympics.'
That 'flexibility' had its flip side, though, when the University Sports Federation of Hong Kong barred her from competing at the World University Games in Shenzhen last year because of doubts about her student status, although she was a registered student.