Tokyo 2020: top rower Winne Hung disqualified from Hong Kong Olympic trials for failing to make weight

Hong Kong head coach Chris Perry says the 21-year-old has one more chance to make the Olympic squad during the final trials in two months

‘I hope it’s a wake-up call for her to think about what she needs to do and to get it right,’ he says

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Hong Kong rower Winne Hung Wing-yan has a second chance to make Hong Kong’s squad for the Olympic qualifiers. Photo: Handout

Published: 1:26pm, 10 Feb 2021Updated: 1:25pm, 10 Feb 2021

Rowing coach Chris Perry said he hoped Hong Kong’s top women’s rower Winne Hung Wing-yan has learned her lesson after she was disqualified from this weekend’s Olympic trials because she failed to make the weight.

The 21-year-old rising star, a gold medallist at the 2019 World Rowing Coastal Championships in Hong Kong, must wait for about two months for her next and final chance to impress selectors and Perry is confident she will bounce back strongly.

“She didn’t start her weight loss process early enough,” said Perry. “Maybe she thought she could do it at the last minute but it didn’t work. But she’s a young athlete and she’s talented and I think it is important for her to learn.

“I could have said ‘you can race anyway’, but I think she has to understand that that is the job of a lightweight. It is to get the weight right.”

Winne Hung (centre) with the Hong Kong quads team who won gold at the 2019 World Coastal Rowing Championships. Photo: Handout

A women’s lightweight rower must be 59 kilograms or under to compete in a singles race. For a crew, the average weight must be 57kg, so each athlete has a part to play in ensuring the team fulfil requirements.