Asian Tenpin Bowling Championships: Hong Kong athletes struggle after 3 years in international wilderness
- Failure to win single medal in four days of competition highlights rustiness among city’s squad
- But officials believe event represents a return to normality and vow to have athletes challenging on world stage once again
While Hong Kong’s bowlers struggle after three years in the international wilderness, officials hope the Asian Tenpin Bowling Championships currently taking place in the city represent a return to normalcy for the sport.
A failure to win a single medal from three events in four days might not suggest better days ahead, but a fifth-placed finish in the men’s trios for Wu Siu-hong, Michael Mak Cheuk-yin, and Tony Wong Kwan-yuen, who scored 4,245, was enough to instil confidence in Vivien Lau Chiang-chu, the Tenpin Bowling Association’s chairwoman.
“Without competitions for three years, it takes time to adjust their mental side for the competition,” Lau said. “The trios showed us they are on the right track for a comeback and I have high hopes for the Team Event [which begins on Sunday].”
Mak, one of the city’s core bowlers, contracted Covid-19 one week before the event, and according to Lau, the 28-year-old was lucky to recover in time for the postponed regional championships.
Meanwhile, Wu, a former world champion, got off to a slow start in the event after missing three years of competition because of the pandemic. He and finished 17th in the singles, and alongside Mak, ninth in the doubles
“I was supposed to compete in the World Cup in Queensland in November, but I got Covid-19, so this Asian Championships is really my first event in three years,” Wu said.
“To be honest, I was nervous in the first few days [of the championships], it’s a bit of a complicated feeling, the past three years seem like a blank page to me, so boring to just train.
“Though the results are not what I wanted, at least we are back on the battlefield, and I believe everything will be fine soon,”