Three-time world champion Lee Lai-shan has a big surprise for her mainland rivals when she starts training in Guangdong today for next month's All China Games. Accompanying her to Shenwei is French rival Faustine Merret.
The world number eight has been brought in to help Hong Kong's Olympic heroine fine-tune her preparations for the Games.
Hong Kong officials showed they meant business by giving fourth-ranked San San every chance of adding a first All China Games win to her collection, which includes the 1996 Atlanta Olympics gold. They have arranged an all-expenses paid two-week trip for Merret, who pushed San San all the way before settling for a silver at last month's World Championships in Athens. The $30,000 needed for Merret's trip has come from the Arts and Sports Development Fund.
'They will be shocked to see Faustine there. The top mainland windsurfers will be particularly surprised as Faustine had beaten them in international regattas. It's the first time we have flown somebody in to act as my training partner,' said San San, who left for Shenwei yesterday with coach Rene Appel and Merret.
Appel, however, issued a note of caution, saying: 'Faustine will also be surprised by the high level of mainland windsurfers overall. She has only competed with a few of them before.'
Soon-to-retire San San, who captured her ninth Asian Championships title in Pusan last week, stressed she needed help from a world-class windsurfer because most of the SAR's top sailors had stayed in Pusan for this week's pre-Asian Games regatta.
'We asked Faustine to come because her level is close to mine. She'll help fine-tune my board speed and skills. More importantly, we'll practise lots of strategies like one-on-one tactics and my ability to respond to sudden changes of circumstances on the water. There will be a lot of discussions between the three of us [including Appel],' San San said.
