athlete of the week
Name Chan Ka-wai
School Kwai Chung Methodist College
Grade Form Seven
Sport Volleyball and beach volleyball
Achievements
Ka-wai, 18, is a key player on Hong Kong's youth volleyball team. He represented Hong Kong in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Eastern Zonal Championships in South Korea in December. They won this summer's All China Secondary Schools Students' Championships in Zhangzhou , and were fourth in the All China Secondary Schools Students' Games in Baotou , Inner Mongolia. Ka-wai is the captain of his school team and led them to the Grade A boys' title at the Kwai Tsing District Inter-school Championship. He and school teammate Issac Chan won gold at the All New Territories Inter-school Beach Volleyball Competition in April.
Soundbite
'Before getting injured during the All New Territories beach volleyball competition, my defensive play was a weak part of my game,' Ka-wai says. 'I was often slow to react and things only got worse in longer matches. But surprisingly, after my recovery, I found I was much better at defending. I have been in my best shape ever this summer. But I still need to improve my stamina.
'If the school team perform to the best of their ability, we have a good chance of defending our title at the Kwai Tsing district competition and reaching this year's Jing Ying tournament. Last year, we lost to Diocesan Boys' School in the Jing Ying event and they went on to reach the semi-finals. They only narrowly beat us, so we can improve this time.
'It was great to play for Hong Kong in three tournaments this year. Our junior team are a real threat to other teams in national events.
From his coach
'Ka-wai is an outstanding player. He's also very passionate about the sport,' says school PE teacher, Li Kai-ming. 'He is a role model to the school's junior players. He spends a lot of time training with Hong Kong's youth team, yet he often has time to lead the school team's training. I am confident they will do well this year.'
Ambition
'I am looking forward to facing top teams at the Jing Ying tournament in December, especially Yan Chai Hospital No2 Secondary School, the Tuen Mun district inter-school champions. It will be an interesting contest,' says Ka-wai.
