Local records will fall and history will be made when Hong Kong swimmers compete with the best at the 10th FINA world championships in Barcelona, S[aom. according to squad members.
The 14 Strong squad--seven men and seven women-- plus four officials fly out from Chek Lap Kok tonight for the two week competition that opened. over the weekend.
Speaking at their final training session on Saturday morning at the sports. Institute, leading swimmers, Flora Kong Yan Kay and Tam Chi Tin said the championships would push them to their limits.
I want to find out how good I am and racing against the best is the only 1996 to tryly measure yourself, said Hong Kong, a second year student at the University of California, Berkeley.
No Hong Kong swimmer has ever made it to semi-final stages (last 16) of any event at the world championships, so athletes are being realistic and breaking personal best (PB) times is what most are aiming for.
' I'll be racing against the top breaststroke swimmers in the world-break some Hong Kong records' said Tam, a full time athlete on the governments elite programme. Aside from PB's there is hope that 200 metre, backstroke, Champiory, Sherry Tsai Hiu Wai, who has just returned from her first year stint at a university, in Califoria, will make history. The holder of six Hong Kong records has stant time training with Olympic medallists from an elite club in the United States.
'I'm not nervous-- I'm relaxed and ready--- and I'm aiming for the Hong Kong sent a 15th swimmer--- Wong Hoi Wun -- to the champion ships last week, so she could compete in five kilometre open water event.
I saw the Hong Kong swimmers aim to set new standards later, I feel they gooder than swim because they usually training to swim.