Hong Kong Olympians to take plunge in cross-harbour swimming race
All-star squad will join 3,000 amateurs tackling the 1.5km course, including a 68-year-old man and a girl who has just turned 12
Olympics flag-bearer Stephanie Au Hoi-shun and “breaststroke queen” Yvette Kong Man-yi will take the plunge with teammates Claudia Lau Yin-yan, Camille Cheng and Sze Hang-yu.
Also taking part in the 1.5km race is Cheung Wing-tong, 68, one of the oldest swimmers, set to cross the water between Lei Yue Mun Sam Ka Tsuen Public Pier and Quarry Bay Park Public Pier, along with his 26-year-old twin daughters.
Kong, who competed in the 100m and 200m breaststroke in Brazil last month, said: “There won’t be any problem for me to handle the distance.”
She said she had to swim 40 to 50km a week in training, so she should easily handle the course. “The purpose is really to participate in the event with Hong Kong people.”
But Kong and her all-star teammates will not be competing in the traditional “racing group” – instead, they will be assigned to the charity category.