Paris Olympics: Hong Kong triathlete Jason Ng wins race to qualify for Games, teammate gets hypothermia
- Ng beats Kazakh rival Ayan Beisenbayev to place in France after a months-long qualifying battle
- Swimming leg in Kazakhstan should have been cancelled because of ice-cold water temperature, coach says as Oscar Coggins suffers
Hong Kong triathlete Jason Ng Tai-long has qualified for the Paris Olympics after enduring a freezing swim that his coach said should have been cancelled in Kazakhstan on Saturday.
Ng overcame the cold conditions to finish fourth in the Asia Triathlon Cup event in Burabay and edge Kazakhstan’s Ayan Beisenbayev for a place at the Games.
The duo had been locked in an Olympic qualification battle for months, competing for the remaining “new flag” berth, reserved for the highest-ranked Asian nation or region not already represented in France.
The Kazakh needed a podium finish in his home country to overtake Ng, but he could manage only 10th place.
“It’s difficult for me to process everything that’s going on at the moment,” Ng said. “I’m so thankful to everyone who’s supported me.
“All our hard work over the last few months has paid off and I’m grateful we got the right result on the day.
“It’s a privilege to be able to represent my home at an Olympic Games. Even the best athletes only get a few opportunities to compete at an Olympic Games, so to be able to achieve that is a huge weight off my shoulders.”
Andrew Wright, head coach of the Hong Kong triathlon team, took four athletes for the men’s race to increase Ng’s chances of finishing above Beisenbayev, and they had to battle bitterly cold waters in the first leg of the race.
Oscar Coggins, who finished 33rd in the Tokyo Olympics – the best Games result for a Hong Kong triathlete – had to pull out after the swim with hypothermia.
“According to the rules, the race should have been changed to a duathlon, because the water and air were so cold,” Wright said.
“[They] delayed the start and they cut the swim down to one lap. but it was still pretty brutal.”
At 10am, when the race was set to start, the air temperature was eight degrees Celsius and the water was 19 degrees. According to World Triathlon rules, the swimming race should have been cancelled because of the cold.
The Kazakh team had 14 athletes on Saturday, eight more than they had in China’s Jiangsu province last week, to bolster Beisenbayev’s chances.
Wright said he anticipated such tactics but was not worried about the result.
“Our team were really composed and executed team tactics perfectly,” Wright said.
Mark Yu Shing-him gave a strong performance in the tough conditions, finishing third overall for his second-ever podium finish, while Hong Kong teammate Robin Elg finished sixth.
“[Yu] has revolutionised his approach and attitude the last six months and is starting to fulfil his potential,” Wright said.
In the women’s race, Bailee Brown followed up on her first-ever first-place finish in last weekend’s Jiangsu leg of the Asian Cup by finishing third in Kazakhstan.
