Paris Olympics: Hong Kong triathlete Jason Ng expects race to qualify will go ‘down to the wire’
- With three races of the 2024 Asia Triathlon Cup to go, Ng and Kazakhstan’s Ayan Beisenbayev are separated by just 70 points
- But qualification rules means Ng needs podium finish to improve his standing while Kazakh rival just needs to come in top six
Hong Kong triathlete Jason Ng Tai-long said he would thrive under the pressure of a Paris Olympics qualification battle expected to “go down to the wire”.
The race to reach France enters its final leg this weekend, and with only one spot left for Asian triathletes it comes down to a straight fight between Ng and Kazakhstan’s Ayan Beisenbayev, with the Hongkonger leading by 70 points.
On Saturday, Ng will jump into the water in Taizhou, in mainland China, for the first of the three races in the 2024 Asia Triathlon Cup before the Olympic qualifying window closes next month.
The other two races are in China’s Lianyungang and Burabay, Kazakhstan on May 18 and 25, respectively.
However, the complexity of qualification means Ng can only improve his current score if he earns a podium finish, but his Kazakh rival only needs to come in the top six to narrow the gap.
“There are three more races left in the qualification period where we’ll still be racing head to head, it’s definitely going to come down to the wire,” Ng said.