HONGKONG'S leading triathlete Ian Rayson tightened his grip on the season's Winter Aquathon Series with a comfortable win at Aberdeen yesterday.
Clocking 27 minutes and three seconds for the 400 metres swim and gruelling 3.7 kilometres run up Brick Hill, Rayson easily beat off a challenge from promising junior James Hartwright, 16, who opted to compete in the men's open event.
Hartwright clocked 28:28 to finish second overall ahead of third-placed Rob Parkes who completed the course in 29 minutes flat.
But pride of place went to 12-year-old Mark Bailey who turned in a show-stopping performance to clock 29:26 in finishing fourth overall to win the boys' under-14 title.
Bailey now joins the elite Hongkong junior squad ranked the best in Asia, along with second-placed Hartwright and the Bozarth brothers, Brian and Donnie, who missed yesterday's race through illness and injury.
With leading woman triathlete Bobo Lee also on the injured list after Thursday's Eric Liddell Memorial 10-kilometre race, newly-crowned Adidas Queen of the Road Chiu Pik-kwan of Watson's scored a five-second victory over Sue Ross of Ladies Road Runners Club.