While not as physically strong as their foreign counterparts, local rowers So Sau-wah and Lo Ting-wai will get a helping hand from nature at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, said coach Chris Perry.
'Last year at the Junior World Rowing Championships [in Athens], there was a strong tail wind. We're happy about that because when you have a wind blowing the boats down the course, it takes away the power factor and makes technique more important,' he said.
So and Lo - both full-time athletes - qualified for the Games with a second-place finish in the men's lightweight double sculls at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Shanghai. The feat is even more impressive considering both are only 19 years old.
'We thought it might be a tough task for a crew as young as them,' Perry said. 'We classify them in the under-23 category rather than in the senior category. Their performance was exceptionally good.'
The pair excelled because they complement each other.
'Sau-wah, the stroke man, sets the rhythm and the pace,' Perry said. 'He has a very good power output.