Macao triathlon athlete Hoi Long was crowned the champion in the elite category of the ASTC Triathlon Asian Cup hosted in Sokcho, South Korea on 1 July. This was the third time that she won a gold medal in the Asian Cup as an individual, after she had been crowned the champion in Hong Kong two times in 2014 and 2016. Hoi Long said, “I did not do well in Japan, and thus I decided to join the contest in South Korea. I was satisfied with the results of this contest and most importantly, I have become confident again after this”.
To prepare for the competition in the Asian Triathlon Championships in Palembang, Indonesia in July and the National Games in August, Hoi Long was trained through competitions. Having completed the Australia Gold Coast World Serial Games and the Asian Cup in Subic Bay, the Philippines in April, she was not able to do her best in the competition in Osaka, Japan, only ranking the 16th. Therefore, after discussing with her coach Kenta Ando, she decided to join the event in Sokcho, South Korea to improve her competitiveness.
Having arrived at South Korea, Hoi Long made herself familiar with the route of the competition as soon as possible, and tried to rest as much as she could before the competition. She did not perform well in the swimming event and cycling event as she merely ranked the 8th, but with her efforts and determination, she utilized her stamina in the final 10 km running event. Eventually she reached the finishing line in 2 hours 08 minutes 46 seconds, being crowned the champion of the women's elite category. She finished the competition one minute sooner than the runner-up who was a contestant from New Zealand. She also won against the third and the fourth contestants who were from Japan and South Korea respectively.