Windsurfing prodigy Mak Cheung-wing top of her class as she sails to victory at Hong Kong Open
Teenager claims two titles at Stanley Bay to continue her winning form and is looking to becoming a full-time athlete in the sport in the future
Mak Cheuk-wing might be playing catch-up at school, but on the water she’s in a class of her own after she won both the girls’ youth (Under-17) and junior (Under-15) categories of techno 293 at the Haitong Hong Kong Open at Stanley Bay on Sunday.
Former world junior champion Mak had spent so much time boardsailing and competing over the past 12 months that she didn’t have time for her studies at St Stephen’s Girls’ College and has decided to repeat Form Two.
Last year, the 14-year-old sailor was a notable absentee in class as she blazed a glorious path to international stardom, winning last year’s under-15 world title in Italy.
Last month, she showed that her victory in Lake Garda in northern Italy was no fluke as she clinched a silver medal at the world junior championships in Salou, Spain last month.
Although her achievements on the board is impressive and her future in the sport looks bright, there’s still the small matter of school that needs attention but the teenager said she’s working on a plan.
“My school attendance is not sufficient mainly because I have been training and competing after becoming [under-15] world champion so I had to repeat Form Two for another year,” said the youngster. “But I am planning to train full-time to improve my skills as I will face better sailors in future. I will probably need to find another school that can allow for both study and sport.”
