Hong Kong Olympian Oscar Coggins says he has formula for National Games success
Triathlete confident over selection following stellar Asia Championships effort, eyeing medal shot on home soil
Oscar Coggins believes Hong Kong’s best Asia Triathlon Championships performance has established the blueprint for delivering home National Games joy in November.
The Tokyo Olympian overcame numerous setbacks on the 50-kilometre Istanbul course to finish fourth on Saturday, one position ahead of teammate Robin Elg.
Neither has automatically qualified for their city’s Games team, but Coggins said he was “pretty confident” the pair would get the nod over Jason Ng Tai-long to join Wong Tsz-to in a three-man squad for the Central Harbourfront race.
“Robin and I were the second and third best Chinese performers [behind runner-up Zhang Xiriu], and we both have a strong argument to say we’re National Games individual medal contenders,” Coggins added.
Immediately before the Asia championships, Coggins and Elg spent around six weeks training at altitude in the Pyrenees, alongside Team GB’s Samuel Dickinson, a 2024 mixed relay Olympic medallist, and Jack Willis.
“We’ve shown the results and that we have a formula for success,” Coggins said. “We’ll have a short rest now, then another camp, potentially at altitude in mainland China, because we know it’s a good template for how to approach the Games. We’d come back about two weeks before the race.