Paris Olympics: how Hong Kong cyclist Ceci Lee took on fear of failure – ‘a boomerang coming back in her face’
- Lee is competing in the elimination race and omnium at the UCI Track Nations Cup in Canada, a month after struggling with expectations in Hong Kong
- Head coach Herve Dagorne ready for first competition in charge after permanent appointment confirmed
Star Hong Kong cyclist Ceci Lee Sze-wing is consulting a sports psychologist in a bid to banish the inner demons that have plagued her in elite competition.
The 22-year-old is in Canada for the UCI Track Nations Cup, which begins on Friday and provides the final opportunity to claim crucial Olympic qualifying points. Lee is targeting Paris in her strongest omnium event but is 18th in the standings, with 22 riders making the cut.
Head coach Herve Dagorne, who was appointed on a two-year contract in March, following three months in interim charge, has left Lee out of Saturday’s Madison to focus on her omnium tilt.
After finishing 12th in the four-race event at last month’s Hong Kong Nations Cup leg, Lee said she was suffocated by the pressure of competing in front of an expectant home support.
Dagorne could be heard telling his rider she was “sleeping” during a passive ride in the closing points race, which she had started in 10th position.
“Sleeping is probably not the expression, because she was really awake,” Dagorne said. “But she was petrified, worrying about doing something wrong, and thinking that [failing] would be like a boomerang coming back in her face.
“The points race is not like a road race, where you have one final sprint for your place. You can gain points every 10 laps, so cannot miss sprints.
“She could have held onto 10th. The final result was only two places lower, but if she misses Olympic qualifying by two points, it will be a big thing.”
Dagorne said Lee was alone among Hong Kong track cyclists in boasting the raw ability and physical capacity to perform at world level. The Frenchman, however, said “psychological and technical gaps” existed between his rider and the leading competitors.
Dagorne, who was head of France’s track cycling team when they claimed three silver medals at the 2012 Olympics, said Lee has typically been “less confident and less offensive” in world competition.
“We are working to change this, and to have some tricks to modify these feelings,” Dagorne said.
“At Hong Kong Sports Institute, we work as a team across many different fields. Ceci is talking to a sports psychologist, and when I looked around the velodrome [during Nations Cup] he was sitting close to me. The performance departments are always communicating.”
Dagorne said Lee’s training over the past month has been “really intense, she sees how much she can give, when in the past she tried to save energy”.
Lee ran out victorious in a full omnium – which comprises scratch, tempo and elimination disciplines in addition to the final points race – at Hong Kong Velodrome last Saturday.
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“She did well, she was really offensive and physically strong,” Dagorne said. “She really started to work after the debriefing following Hong Kong [Nations Cup].”
Lee, whose Madison Olympic qualification hopes went up in smoke at that home Nations Cup, will tune up for the omnium with a ride in Friday’s elimination race.
“I am not thinking too much [about omnium Olympic permutations], only about how she can do her best,” Dagorne said.
“We cannot think about her direct competitors, because that is not good for race strategy, or concentration. We missed getting some points in Hong Kong, and want to fix what happened.”
