HKCT Student Shattered HK Finswimming Record: Hard Work Pays Off with Mentor’s Guidance
The HKCT swimming team, comprising teachers and students, has achieved remarkable success in the recent "2024 Hong Kong Summer Finswimming Competition." They swept numerous awards across various distances and disciplines, including bi-fins, surface monofin, and the mixed 2x2x50m bi-fin relay race. Notably, a new Hong Kong record was set in 400m surface monofin event.
LAU Hoi Pak, a year 1 student in the Higher Diploma in Fitness, Coaching and Sports Management programme, made an impressive debut in finswimming, securing 5 awards: first place in the 50m bi-fins, 100m bi-fins, and the mixed 2x2x50m bi-fin relay; second place in the 400m bi-fins; and third place in the 200m bi-fins. Despite his previous experience in secondary school's swimming team, LAU found finswimming to be an exciting new challenge and credited HKCT's dedicated faculty for introducing him to the sport.
LAU’s journey began when he encountered the HKCT’s admissions booth on DSE results day. The staff's comprehensive introduction to the sports programme captured his interest, leading to his enrollment. During his admissions interview, LAU met Arnald LAM Man Hin, a former Hong Kong finswimming record holder and Head of the Higher Diploma programme. Arnald's passion for finswimming resonated deeply with LAU. "Finswimming is distinct from traditional swimming,” Lau explained. "The specialised equipment, such as fins and a snorkel, adds an exciting new dimension to the sport. This motivated me to join the HKCT’s swimming team training programme that summer."
Upon enrolling at HKCT, LAU joined the Institute’s swim team and quickly bonded with senior teammate MAK Ho Yan, who shared his enthusiasm for finswimming. They mutual support during training fostered a deep appreciation for the sport. Under Arnald’s expert guidance, LAU trained intensively for just over two months before his competition debut. He expresses profound gratitude for Arnald’s dedicated coaching and mentorship, which emphasised discipline, technical proficiency, and mental resilience. LAU also acknowledges the invaluable support of his teammates. Looking ahead, LAU aims to refine his skills further, aspiring to follow in MAK’s footsteps by joining the Hong Kong finswimming team and competing on an international level.
Arnald takes pride in the team's achievements and the students' appreciation. He believes that leading by example and sharing knowledge are fundamental to effective teaching. Nurturing students' interest and potential in sports is always his driving force. Arnald commends LAU as an exceptionally disciplined and goal-oriented student, noting, "He has never missed any training sessions, with 100% attendance, and he always gives his utmost effort during every practice." Arnald attributes the team’s swift success, despite its recent formation in May, to the members' unwavering dedication and perseverance. "They adeptly balance their academic responsibilities with training, committing to at least two training sessions per week, and incorporating two additional morning sessions during summer break."
Complementing LAU’s outstanding performance, MAK Ho Yan, a year 3 student in the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) in Sports Management with Coaching programme and also Arnald's student, continued her impressive winning streak. Building upon her triumphs at the 2023 Finswimming World Cup Gold Final and the 2024 National Finswimming Championships & CMAS Finswimming Open, she claimed first place in the women's 1,500m surface monofin, women's 400m surface monofin, and the mixed 2x2x50m bi-fin relay. Most notably, she set a new Hong Kong record in the 400m surface monofin event. Arnald is optimistic that MAK will bring further honour to Hong Kong in the Asian Long-Distance Invitational Competition next month.
