Poor swim leaves Lee's hopes in tatters

Hong Kong triathlete Daniel Lee Chi-wo was left trailing throughout his debut at the World Championships in Edmonton, Canada but vowed he will not let his weakest discipline be exploited by his opponents next time after finishing a lowly 62nd.

Lee came short of the strong swim needed to stay up with the leaders, finishing fourth slowest of the 74-strong field. He then saw the leading pack speed away to open a two-minute gap before he lost even more ground in the cycling and running sections.

'The main difference between the world-class triathletes and me is in the swim. Two minutes is a big gap. Because I was off the pace in the swim, I wasn't able to keep up with them for the rest of the race although I caught three on the bike,' said Lee.

Lee added that the cold weather had been an added disadvantage during his swim. The water temperature was slightly above the 22 degree Celsius mark below which triathletes are allowed to wear wetsuits.

'The cold temperature may not have bothered the westerners but it affected me and probably the Japanese, too. I was shivering and my legs became stiff after warm-ups,' he said. Lee now hopes to fulfil his real potential in the future. 'It's an acceptable result considering that it was my first World Championships in the men's elite race. I need to train specifically in swimming in the following months. I hope to come out of the water as soon as they do and finish in the top 40 in the next international race,' said Lee, who is ranked 59th in the world.

Lee explained he lacked the time needed to strengthen his endurance ability in the water as he has had a hectic schedule in the past year.