Hong Kong triathlete Bailee Brown set to return from injury ordeal in mainland China race
City team sending 16-strong contingent to Asia Triathlon Cup in Taizhou on Saturday, although four prominent figures are skipping event
Bailee Brown has been cleared to return from her injury nightmare and join a 16-strong Hong Kong contingent at the Asia Triathlon Cup in Taizhou on Saturday.
While the men’s big three of Jason Ng Tai-long, Oscar Coggins and Robin Elg will skip the event, some of their teammates competing on the mainland this weekend have been warned they are fighting for their international futures.
The luckless Brown needed three operations since badly damaging a finger in December. However, head coach Andrew Wright said the 25-year-old was in rude health following an unbroken four-week training block.
“Cream always rises to the top, and people who are talented bounce back from anything,” he said. “She’s as fit as she was before the injury, although not as fit or as fast as she’d have been without it. She’ll be nearly there by the National Games [in November].”
Wright said being able to train and fulfil her potential had significantly lifted Brown’s mood. “When you’re stopped from doing what you’re passionate about, it’s a bit depressing,” he said.
Coggins, Ng and Elg, along with Hilda Choi Yan-yin, are focusing on the China National Championships, which happen in a fortnight. Last time out, in Chengdu five weeks ago, Coggins’ heartbeat dropped alarmingly before he faded during the closing run. The 25-year-old had been disappointed with his performance at April’s Asia Sprint Championships, too.