Asian Games: ‘I wanted to cry but I’m the oldest and I didn’t want the young ones to see me,’ says Hong Kong bronze winner Sze
The 30-year-old says she felt a burden she had never experienced before in more than 12 years swimming for the Hong Kong team
Her 30-year-old body felt the sheer weight of expectation, the young ones in the team looked to her for reassurance, but Sze Hang-yu only wanted to cry.
The veteran Hong Kong swimmer, who won bronze medals in the relay in 2006, 2010 and 2014, wanted to end her career with another medal in the women’s 4x100 metre freestyle relay but the pressure was unbearable.
As the Hong Kong team warmed up for the final on Sunday night at the Jakarta Aquatic Centre, Sze was tormented inside. For the sake of her younger teammates, she could not be seen to have a breakdown minutes before a final.
“I just wanted to cry during the warm-up because there was so much pressure which I never imagined or felt before,” said Sze. “Actually, there are some young girls in the Hong Kong team, one is swimming in the final for the first time, two of them nearly quit, but they are still swimming now.
“I am the oldest. Our team [beyond the 4x100m squad] has 14-year-olds and 16-year-olds and so it feels like we are the older ones who have to bring the youngsters up, wanting them to get faster and even beat us,” added Sze, who said the Jakarta event would be her last Asian Games.
“My body is getting older, I need more time to recover and I haven’t managed a personal best time since 2011. But I managed a PB in the 50 free at the Hong Kong Championships one week before we came out. Although it’s not my best event, it gave me at least a bit more confident.