Ko Siu-wai joins squad for Cali as Cheung King-lok misses out
Top rider omitted from Hong Kong team for final leg of the World Cup, while women's star Sarah Lee seeks improvement as she prepares to face rivals
Ko Siu-wai has had to ride to the rescue for Hong Kong men's pursuit team after leading male rider Cheung King-lok was dropped from the squad for the track World Cup in Cali, Colombia.
The final of the three-leg series will feature top riders from all over the world aiming at next year's Olympic Games - but not Cheung.
He raced in both previous legs in Guadalajara and London and his ranking in the omnium is currently good enough to qualify for the Rio Games.
I just returned from Kunming and will start training in preparation for ... the Asian Championships in Thailand and the World Championships in Paris
But Cheung, who turns 24 next month, did not join a high-altitude training camp in Kunming, Yunnan province in the final build-up for Cali; it is believed he was given time off after a period of emotional stress.
"I just returned from Kunming and will start training in preparation for the forthcoming two major races - the Asian Championships in Thailand and the World Championships in Paris," said Cheung, who did not answer when asked why he was not among the names in the squad who are already in Cali.
There are 10 qualifying rounds for the 2016 Olympic Games - the six World Cup legs in two seasons, plus two regional championships and two World Championships prior to the Rio Games.
In Cheung's absence, Ko has been called up in the pursuit team which also features Leung Chun-wing, Cheung King-wai and Wu Lok-chun. "The team went through an altitude training camp before going to Cali which they did not have time to do for the two previous legs," said Hong Kong Cycling Association chairman Leung Hung-tak .