Fourth indoor world record for Hong Kong rower Chan Chi-fung, but coach reminds him ‘machines don’t float’
- The 22-year-old sets a record in half marathon at the Sports Institute over the Christmas holidays while his teammates take a one-week break
- Coach Chris Perry says while Chan raises his status as an indoor rower, he still trails doubles partner Chiu Hin-chun in boat trials
While his teammates enjoyed a week’s break from training, Hong Kong rower Chan Chi-fung was busy setting yet another world record.
The Hong Kong Sports Institute athlete set his fourth world record by clocking one hour, 14 minutes and 18.1 seconds for the half-marathon (21,097 metres) in the lightweight men’s 19-29 category, using the Concept2 Indoor Rower with Slides.
His latest effort adds to the world records he holds in the four-minute, 30-minute and marathon events using the same machine. Chan had performed his feat on Christmas Day but only notified head rowing coach Chris Perry on Tuesday.
“He only told me about it today because he was waiting for the record to be ratified and receive the certificate,” said Perry. “All the other athletes went out of the camp for a one-week Christmas break but he stayed in. Now I know what he was up to. I guess nothing to do while locked down at the Sports Institute.”
The record has been sanctioned by Vermont-based rowing machine maker Concept2, which is in partnership with governing body World Rowing.
Chan’s half-marathon efforts put him among the best indoor rowers in the world but Perry said Hong Kong’s focus remained on the water and qualifying for the Olympics.
And Chan faces challenges from three other rowers who together make up Hong Kong’s strongest-ever men’s squad in the lightweight division.
“Obviously it puts him in a good position in terms of status within the squad, but we are always joking with him that machines don’t float,” said Perry. “Performances on rowing machines indicate physiological capabilities but you need to transfer that power into a racing boat on the water.
“You can’t judge totally by a rowing machine. There are several rowers in our team, particularly the men’s side, who are strong and there is quite a lot of rivalry among the four top scullers.”
Chan, in fact, was beaten by his doubles partner Chiu Hin-chun during a trial in December, with Lam San-tung and Wong Wai-chun also among the top rowers in Hong Kong.
Perry said the four rowers were challenging for Olympic places before the Tokyo Games were postponed last year, and they are forced to start again with new trials for this summer’s qualifying races.
“Those four guys came out of previous trials as clearly the strongest group for the Olympic squad last year,” said Perry. “Then the Games were delayed and it opened up the whole thing again. And for the men’s they are still the strongest.
“In the single sculls trials, Chiu was number one and Chan was number two. Then Wong and Lam, who were almost impossible to separate.”
Hong Kong are targeting men’s and women’s lightweight singles, and men’s and women’s lightweight doubles for the Olympics. The qualifying races that were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic last year are due to start in late April but World Rowing has yet to confirm any dates.
“We are training on the basis that we will be competing in late April or early May,” said Perry.
