Beijing 2022: Hong Kong speed skaters remain hopeful of Winter Olympics spots after figure skaters fall short
- Five Hong Kong short track skaters will take part in four designated qualifiers at World Cup events starting this month
- Figure skaters Harrison Wong and Joanna So failed to make grade in final qualification event in Germany last week
Hong Kong will have to rely on its short track speed skaters if it is to make an appearance on the rink at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, after the figure skaters fell short in final qualification last week.
With no international standardised ice rinks in Hong Kong, and the commercial ones often packed with public skaters, a five-member squad is currently training across the border in Dongguan, Guangdong.
They are preparing under the guidance of head coach Sun Dandan, a two-time Olympic relay silver medallist in speed skating for China, as they look ahead to four rounds of World Cup action beginning this month, which will decide the 2022 Games representatives.
Heading the list will be Sidney Chu, who also took part in qualification for the 2018 Games despite fracturing his ankle in three different places two and a half months ahead of the qualifiers. He will be joined by Sui Xin, brothers Kwok Tsz-fung and Kwok Tsz-ho, and Lam Ching-yan – the only female speed skater on the team.
“We started our preparations for the qualifiers from last October when we sent our team to China for training,” said Sun. “But because of the pandemic outbreak and the related measures brought by quarantining, we have suffered a lot of difficulties and needed to regularly adjust our training schedules.