Beijing 2022 Olympics: Hong Kong becoming ‘a force to be reckoned with’, says speed skater Sidney Chu
- The 22-year-old ‘immensely proud’ ahead of his first Winter Games, praising his tight-knit team’s resilience
- ‘We want to do as much as we can to let people know, ‘hey, we’re going to the Beijing 2022 Olympics’,’ says Chu
Hong Kong’s only 2022 Winter Olympics speedskating competitor Sidney Chu is confident the team’s recent performances show they are becoming “a force to be reckoned with” at international level.
“Unlike in previous years in World Cups – certainly in the last big Olympic cycle – we didn’t drop from the pack,” said Chu, a 2019 Asian Championships silver and bronze medallist and 2019 World University Games flag-bearer.
“You could definitely feel that from other teams. We ‘stole’ one of the US team spots and I remember the US coach being like, ‘Damn, this Hong Kong kid. Why does he have to be here?’
“It’s very different from the past where we were just another name on the list and weren’t really heavily considered into other people’s racing strategies. Now we are, regardless if it’s me, Sui Xin or Kwok Tsz-fung. It’s kind of amazing to see our progress.”