Ice swimming World Championship medals are just a bonus for Hongkonger, whose focus is process over suffering
- Mak Chun-kong wins five medals at the ice swimming World Championships, but his mindset shifts from extrinsic to intrinsic motivations
- The Hongkonger wants to show that with hard work, anything is possible no matter where you come from
A Hongkonger won five medals at the International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) World Championship in Glogow, Poland, but for Mak Chun-kong, the external validation of medals has ceased to matter.
“I try not to look at the medals, but it is a chance to test my ability to see how fast I can go, and to enjoy the process,” Mak, 35, said. “I didn’t look at the other opponents. It’s not a healthy mentality, even in sport, to look at others.
“They swam next to be, but I didn’t look at them. I told myself to enjoy every stroke and see how far I’ve come this season. It was a bonus to enjoy the medals.”
Mak won bronze in 1,000m freestyle, 500m freestyle, 250m freestyle and 50m butterfly, and silver in the 100m individual medley.
Mak started ice swimming four years ago. He swam in Hong Kong when he was a student, competing in school and university competitions. By his own admission he was not especially competitive and would be happy to just make a final.