Suen Jyi-shan and Liu Chic-yun from Taiwan won the Action Asia Challenge Hong Kong on Sunday, thanks to a mishap suffered by the leading pair as they approached the finish line.
Suen, a former Taiwan triathlon champion and veteran adventure racer, and teammate Liu were second in the kayaking section - the penultimate stage of the race - when the boat of Ryan Blair and Piers Touzel of North Face capsized. Water had started leaking into their boat through a crack in the bottom, slowing the pair down. Altogether, their kayak capsized five times.
The Taiwanese team took the opportunity to race home first. Suen said luck was definitely on their side.
'Ryan and Piers were well ahead and it looked like we were going to have to settle for second place,' Suen said. 'But once we saw them flip over, we knew that something was wrong and we were able to take advantage of it. It was hard on them but we're happy to take the win.'
The Taiwanese pair completed the 50-kilometre course in just under five hours.
Hong Kong's Daniel Brown and John Power of Subaru finished second, followed by another Hong Kong team, Kong Chi-ming and Tsang Siu-keung of Power Bar Beyond Limits.
