Hong Kong are confident of making it third time lucky at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia this weekend when they bid for an elusive rugby sevens gold.
Paul John’s side have claimed silver at the last two editions of the Games, falling to Japan on both occasions, but newly nationalised Hongkonger Ben Rimene, who took up Hong Kong citizenship aged 33 to help the team go for gold in Jakarta, said he and his teammates are targeting the top of the podium on Saturday.
“Our aim is to come away with the gold medal – we have to aim for that,” Rimene said. “We can’t be safe. We want to put it all out there. We’ve just get to get on with what we need to do to get that gold.”
Ben Rimene says he and his Hong Kong teammates are in the hunt for gold in Indonesia. Photo: Nazvi Careem
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Speaking after a brief run out on Wednesday morning at the GBK Rugby field in Jakarta, Rimene said conditions are tough but not too different from those the team encounters regularly in Hong Kong.
“It’s going to be hot but that’s nothing we’re not used to from Hong Kong weather,” Rimene said. “We had a light training session this morning after a bit of a blow out yesterday.”
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Rugby sevens, which was widely considered to be the hit event after its first Olympics run at Rio 2016, has been a full Asian Games event since the 1998 edition in Bangkok, but Hong Kong have not yet won gold.
