EIGHT lucky swimmers will be picked at the end of the Hong Kong leg of the Epson World Cup to represent the territory in the remaining six European legs of the championship. This is the carrot the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association is dangling before the 19-member squad who will take part in this year's World Cup on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Kowloon Park Indoor Pool. Last year, when Hong Kong hosted the first leg of the World Cup, the territory broke 13 national records. Do not expect this to happen again, the event coming so soon after the rigours of the Commonwealth and Asian Games. Leading local swimmer, Robyn Lamsam, admits that it will be hard to set national records - the territory's realistic goal when competing against the best swimmers from Germany, Sweden, Britain, Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Finland, Slovenia, New Zealand, Denmark, Poland, Belgium, Macau and Vietnam. 'Maybe miracles might happen. But it would be unrealistic to expect new records in this event,' said Lamsam, who won silver and bronze at Hiroshima. Realising that motivation has been hard to come by, the local association has said they will name the eight best swimmers after this week's championship, to represent Hong Kong at the remaining legs in Finland, France, Italy, Britain, Sweden and Germany. The eight will be split into two squads of four, with one taking in the first three overseas legs and the other competing in the remaining events. Lamsam, however, is a certainty to represent Hong Kong in the first three European legs. The 17-year-old, who will take part in five events, has emerged as the territory's top swimmer after performing superbly at the Asian Games - becoming the first Hong Kong woman to win an Asian Games medal in an individual event (she finished fourth in the 50-metre freestyle, but was elevated to bronze after gold medallist Lu Bin was stripped of her medal after testing positive for drugs). Hong Kong squad Men: Mark Kwok, Sun Fat-yee, Fong Lik-sun, Szeto Shui-ki, Michael Scott, Tam Chi-kin, Brendan Leung, Yeung Lok-man, Alex Wong Women: Robyn Lamsam, Vivian Lee, Katie Lau, Cosmo Saunders, Ann Wong, Ann Kwan, Ayako Nakamura, Heidi Wong, Snowie Pang, Maggie Hui
