Asian Games 2023: Hong Kong triathletes take team bronze, Japan beat China to complete golden sweep
Hong Kong’s triathletes have ended their difficult Asian Games on a high, taking bronze in the mixed-team relay on Monday.
Japan dominated from start to finish, winning gold in 1 hour, 26 minutes and 21 seconds, completing a clean sweep of the triathlon events in Hangzhou, after Kenji Nener and Yuko Takahashi won the men’s and women’s individual races, respectively.
China claimed silver in 1:27:48, almost 90 seconds behind the winners in the fast and furious contest, which has competitors complete a 300m swim, 6.67km bike and 1.86km run leg before handing over to a teammate.
The bronze was Hong Kong’s 20th of the Games, matching the number won in Jakarta in 2018, when the triathletes also finished third in the team event.
Bailee Brown raced five years ago as well, one of two survivors from that team, and the 23-year-old said the feeling had “improved significantly”.
“We worked so hard over the summer and I’m just so thankful that we have a coach who believes in us and a support system,” she said.
“Our team has dealt with a lot of adversity, but we are so close and I couldn’t have asked for better people to do this with.”
Head coach Andrew Wright said he was “happy the team performed under pressure” and relived they had finally been able to contribute to the city’s overall medal count after disappointment in the men’s and women’s races.
“[It’s been] pretty tough to come here with key team members missing and still get a result,” Wright said.
Wright said the issues that plagued the team had not so much left him feeling disappointed, but if he had been asked five weeks ago, he would have backed his squad to win medals in all three races.
Ng came fifth in a men’s race that Coggins withdrew from after the swim, while Brown finished her individual bid for a podium in sixth after dropping out of the top three on the gruelling run.
“I can’t say disappointment as they did such a great job today under all the pressure,” Wright said. “But it felt a bit like surviving rather than thriving across the three events.”
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