A star is born

When it comes to badminton, Hong Kong has long relied on importing talent from the mainland. So when Angus Ng Ka-long, a form six student at the Diocesan Boys' School, beat the best that China has to offer at the National Inter-City Games in Jiangxi earlier this week, people in Hong Kong sat up and took notice.

Ng, who trains only part time, beat the cream of mainland talent, including national team member Guo Kai in the final, to win gold at the Games, which is open to athletes aged 19 and under. World and Olympic champion Lin Dan and world No 5 Chen Jin are among past winners at the Inter-City Games so Ng's success paints a bright future in the sport for the 17-year-old.

'I want to build on this success and push myself even harder. I want to start training full time next year,' said Ng, who has been a member of the Hong Kong junior squad since 2006.

'Of course, I know that a professional career in badminton will be tough. It is incredibly competitive at the highest level and winning a junior event, even one as prestigious as the Inter-City Games, is no guarantee of future success.'

After sitting the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination next year, Ng plans to take up full-time training. 'I will give it five years to see how far I can go. If I don't do well, I will probably go back to school. I think this is fair to myself and my family,' he said.

'I want to fulfil my dream of playing professional badminton. That's what my focus will be for at least the next couple of years.'

Ng has already had a taste of what it means to train full time. 'Right now, I only train two hours a day after school,' he said. 'But to prepare for the Inter-City Games, I went to Fujian province twice for training camps with the China national youth team - one in June and one just prior to the Games this month and I found both very helpful.