Swimmer Ng Cheuk-yin smashes three Hong Kong records to qualify for World Championships
- Ng Cheuk-yin wins three events at Division 1 short course Time Trial, all in Hong Kong records
- Hayden Kwan set a Hong Kong best time in the men’s 200 metre backstroke with one minute and 55.07 seconds, eclipsing Ng’s previous best of 1:56.93
Ng Cheuk-yin hit the jackpot in the Division 1 short course Time Trial on Sunday, smashing three Hong Kong records at the Sports Institute and meeting the A qualification standard for December’s World Championships in Melbourne.
At the Fo Tan training complex, Ng first set a record in the men’s 50m backstroke when he clocked 23.68 seconds, smashing the previous best of 24.18 set by Geoffrey Cheah at the 2014 Fina World Cup in Hong Kong.
Fuelled by his success in the morning, the 19-year-old Ng added two records to his belt after the lunch break.
Firstly, the University of Georgia student broke Kenneth To King-him’s 100m butterfly record with a new time of 51.45 against To’s previous best of 51.73. Ng then set another record in the 100m backstroke where he won the race in 51.87. The previous best was also held by Cheah in 52.08 set also at the 2014 World Cup.
Both results have reached the B qualification standard for the World Championships.
Head coach Chen Jianhong said the youngster had made improvement after moving to the United States to continue his studies 18 months ago. Ng also made his maiden NCAA competition in the United States last year.
“Ng came back to Hong Kong for summer holidays giving us time to work with his skills and it paid off,” Chen said. “He has a strong physical power but there is still plenty of room for improvement if we can improve some details of his skills.
“We will continue to apply more technical and scientific approaches to help the swimmer and combined with his NCAA exposure, we hope to help Ng pursue his dream in sports.”
In another event, Hayden Kwan set a Hong Kong best time in the men’s 200 metre backstroke with one minute and 55.07 second, eclipsing Ng’s previous best of 1:56.93.
His time also reached the B qualification standard for the short course Worlds.
Kwan, who was born in the United States to Hong Kong parents, will be able to represent the city next month after fulfilling the one-year residency requirement set by the Swimming Association.
“Kwan has kept a very good attitude in his training and maintained his performance at a very high level,” Chen added. “He has now set sights on qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics and winning medals for Hong Kong at the upcoming Asian Games.”
In the men’s 200m breaststroke, Benson Wong broke the Hong Kong record with a time of 2:08.95, shattering Michael Ng Yu-hin’s 2:09.14 previous best. Wong’s time also reached the B qualifying standard for the Worlds.
Citing a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases, the HKSI asked for Sunday’s event to run behind closed doors.
There will be two more domestic events for the swimmers to qualify for Melbourne and three rounds of Fina short course World Cup in Europe and America from October.
