The recurrence of a shin-split problem brought disappointment to Hong Kong's leading triathlete Daniel Lee Chi-wo in the 10th staging of the National Games in Xuzhou near Nanjing yesterday.
Lee had been hoping to win the event, or at the very worst come away with a medal, and it seemed that the 28-year-old was well on the way to realising his goal when he was the first man to go through the transition phase from the 40km cycling leg to the 10km run.
Team tactics had teammates Lemuel Lau and Derwin Chan shadowing Lee in his bid for a medal, but after just two kilometres of the run, the two younger and less experienced triathletes motored past Lee as his pace slowed due to the onset of pain associated with shin splints, a problem that forced Lee to sit out several events through the summer, including the Asian Championships in Singapore in July.
Lau forged ahead and came home in 16th place from the 56 competitors while Chan finished just one place behind.
Lee placed 22nd while the PLA's Dick Wenpor won the event - the first time triathlon has been included in the National Games - in a very fast time of one hour, 54 minutes and 21 seconds.
Fellow PLA officer Wang Hongni won the women's event in a time of 2:04:08 while Hong Kong's Chrissie Bailey placed 17th in 2:10:08. Teammate Tania Mak So-ning finished in 24th position in a time of 2:13:49.