National Games: Hong Kong’s Au makes ‘good start’ to windsurfing competition
Au Ling-yeung ends first day of competition ranked third, giving himself every chance of progressing to second phase
Hong Kong windsurfer Au Ling-yeung got his National Games adventure under way on Monday, and head coach Chan King-yin said his charge had made a decent start to the event in Shanwei.
Competing in the first phase of the men’s iQFoil at the Guangdong Ocean Sports Training Centre, Au finished second and first in two of his four races, ending the opening day ranked third of the 14 athletes taking part.
Windsurfing is part of the National Games’ sailing program, which is one of a handful of sports that start before the opening ceremony on November 9.
Chan, a two-time Asian Games gold medallist before taking up his coaching roles, said Au had handled the windy conditions “better than the others”.
“Au did make some mistakes in the first and the fourth race, costing him a top three finish in those two races,” Chan added. “But in the second and third race, he strongly demonstrated his speed and decision-making ability, so it’s a good start for me.”
With only the top four athletes from phase one able to join the 10 others at the second phase, which begins on Friday, Chan believed the expected strong winds and big waves over the next two days should enable the 23-year-old Au, who took part in the men’s RS:X event at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, to maintain his advantage. Chi Qingbin and Chen Hao, both from Zhejiang, ranked ahead of Au.