For a triathlete whose hometown summer is considered “too hot and humid for training” for the sport he loves, Lee Chi-wo has done quite well for himself. The 32-year-old is Asia’s top-ranked triathlete.

Lee was first hooked on the sport when a friend invited him to attempt a triathlon in high school. That was 15 years ago, when triathlon was new to Hong Kong, says Lee. He didn’t do too badly. “I won that race,” he remembers, before adding, “luckily”.

Luck may well have played a role, but the crucial ingredients were more likely the skill and determination that Ruth Hunt, head triathlon coach at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, saw when she invited Lee aboard right after the event. In the years that followed, Lee found himself as Asia’s number one triathlete, and, in 2004, he was lining up on the beach at Vouliagmeni, Greece, for the Athens Olympics.

“Athens was one of [the] hardest races in my career. The temperature was very hot, the altitude very high, and the track was very hilly... but still, it was a very good experience.”

“Very hilly,” it turns out, means a 700-metre uphill slog that wreaked havoc on the field. Lee wasn’t immune and finished 43rd in the race. Athens may not have been his finest hour, but it at least paved the way for a top showing at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, where he finished second. The 2007 World Champs also saw him in fine form, crossing the finish line only a minute behind the winner, in 16th overall.

Lee now has his sights set on the 11th National Games of China and the upcoming Hong Kong ITU Premium Cup. The two races are only a few days apart, but Lee hardly seems fazed, saying: “It could be a bit close, but my condition will be at its peak.”

Lee is looking for a podium finish in the Hong Kong ITU Premium Cup (last year he placed 10th), which this year takes place on a much-improved course with more forgiving transition points on land near Disneyland on Lantau Island.

A top-three placing could well be in the offing, providing he can overcome the handicaps inherent in being a high-performance athlete in our city of smog. Lee says his biggest challenge is training here, where heat, humidity, traffic jams, and a lack of proper running trails all impede his efforts to reach the top of his game. Instead, he spends several months each year training in Europe and New Zealand.

While he laments there’s “still not as much focus or awareness as in Western countries” on athletes, in light of last year’s Olympics and the upcoming East Asian Games in this very city, the government has at least increased its support for athletics, which, says Lee, has resulted in more Hongkongers becoming aware of their fitness and taking up new sports.

Now we’re only a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike ride, and 10km run on Lantau away from finding out whether or not that can translate to home-grown success.

Andrew James

Hong Kong ITU Triathlon, 10am, Saturday October 17, 2504 8282, hongkongitu.com. Registration for all categories – from fun to professional – closes Wednesday September 30 (but will be charged a late fee after September 20).