The Asian Games

Hong Kong's youngest player

By Candy Tong

Peter Yu Chi Lok, 14, was the youngest representative of Hong Kong in the Asian Games of 2002.

He was only 13 when he went to the 14th Busan Asian Games in October 2002 in South Korea.

The type of sailing in which Peter participates is called “optimist sailing”.

Athletes must be aged between 8 and 15. And each sailor controls a boat on his or her own.

“My father and elder sister used to sail. Influenced by them, I thought it was quite interesting. Thus, I started sailing in 1999,” said Peter.

After practicing for three months, Peter took part in the Hong Kong Annual Sailing Championship organized by the Sail Training Association of Hong Kong.

Although he did not get a prize, he did not give up.

“I kept on practicing and improving. A year later, I entered the same competition and got my first prize in sailing — second runner-up of age under 15,” said he.

Recently, he has entered local and international competitions and got several prizes.

In September, he took part in the 2002
China National Optimist Championship
in Shan Wei.

On behalf of Hong Kong, he was the
champion of Group C, for athletes
under 15.

Moreover, his team got the first runner-up
for the team competition.

In October 2002, at the Asian Games,
there were 11 competitors in his group.

Originally, he aimed at finishing in the top five. However, he was only ranked eighth.

Said he: “I was a bit disappointed. However, after evaluation, I thought I was too arrogant. My opponents were actually better than I.

“Other competitors spent a lot of time practicing. They practiced every day. However, I practiced only twice a week.

“They were generally stronger than me and they had more experience than me.”
Although he did not get a prize, he learned a lot.

“I made a lot of friends from different countries. I learned some sailing skills from them.”
Peter said athletes from other countries usually had a lot of sponsorships from their governments, but the Hong Kong government gave only little support.

Luckily, Peter got sponsorships from two men.

“I do want to thank Frank Pong Fai and Andy Lam Siu Hing of the Sail Training Association of Hong Kong.

“Without their support, I could not have taken part in so many competitions,” said Peter.

Peter is active and energetic. Besides sailing, he likes ballgames such as basketball and table tennis.

Furthermore, like any other 14-year-olds, he likes computer games and shopping.

Furthermore, Peter has to study. He is now a Form 2 student studying at Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Secondary School.

This term, Peter was absent from school for nearly 2 months because of the competitions.

His parents and friends were worried that he might not be able to catch up with his homework and studies.

But Peter handled things well.

“I was not obsessed with sailing. I spent enough time studying. Actually, my examination results were quite good.”

Every Saturday and Sunday, Peter goes to Sai Kung Little Palm Beach to practice sailing.

To develop good relationships with friends and family, Peter has to manage time well.

“My classmates seldom gather at weekends. Therefore, I don’t think practicing sailing affects our friendship,” said Peter.

“My family members all support me a lot. Sometimes, they accompany me to practice sailing. Sailing does not worsen our relationship. It brings us closer instead.”

In August 2002, he was invited to Government House, to attend the 14th Busan Asian Games Flag Presentation Ceremony.

Of all his experiences, Peter said that his most unforgettable one was the International Optimist Dinghy Association’s Asian Optimist Sailing Championship 2001 held in South Korea.

“Right before the competition, I was preparing myself and adapting to the environment. Suddenly my boat hit a naval vessel.

“I immediately jumped into the sea. I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. Luckily, Xu Xiaodong, my coach, was nearby and saved me.”

Apart from gaining experiences, sailing has made him popular.

“Sometimes, classmates treat me differently. They regard me as a great athlete. Whenever teachers ask who is good at sports, my classmates usually say that I am,” said Peter.

But he admits that he is not a good swimmer.

Peter thinks that sailing is a hard sport, requiring much physical strength.

However, he does not regret taking up the sport.

“I think sailing is challenging and demanding, but it is interesting. I really like it.

“Sailing gave me many eye-opening opportunities.”

Also, he gets much satisfaction from sailing.

“When I get prizes, I am contented. The feeling of success is incredible. It motivates me to keep on sailing.

“Sometimes, I am proud of myself. Not many athletes have the chance to take part in the Asian Games. I was fortunate to have the opportunity when I was just 13.

“But apart from this, I do feel pressure as more people know me.”

According to Peter, there are a lot of factors leading to success.

“Working hard and being serious in training are the most important factors. Besides, parental support is important too.”

When facing difficulties, Peter tries to find solutions on his own. However, if he cannot solve the problems, he asks his coach and other sailors for help.

Concerning future goals, Peter is aiming at getting medals in international competitions.

He wants to be as successful as Lee Lai Shan, who got the gold medal in windsurfing in the 1996 Olympic Games.

His next target is the IODA Asian Optimist Sailing Championship 2003, to be held in India.

Although he devotes much effort to sailing, he still thinks that studying is more important than sailing.

“Getting good results in examinations and getting into the university are important in my life, even more important than sailing well.”

When there are tests or examinations,
Peter forsakes sailing to study.

“In the future, there may be some big international sailing competitions. To spend more time practicing, I may stop going to school for a year.
However, I have never thought of going up my
studies,” he said.

To continue sailing, he has to take part in another
type of sailing competition in which two athletes
control one single boat.

There are some other young athletes practicing
sailing with him, but he does not know if they will
continue sailing or not.

“I want to continue sailing. But I have not found a
partner yet,” he said.

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