Hong Kong Swimmers Scratch World Juniors Prelims After Typhoon Impacts Travel Plans

by Riley Overend 0

September 04th, 2023 Asia, International, News

2023 WORLD JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Typhoon Saola impacted travel plans across Asia over the weekend, including Team Hong Kong’s trip to the 2023 World Junior Swimming Championships in Netanya, Israel.

Sources tell SwimSwam that Hong Kong’s junior squad arrived at the meet just a couple hours before the first prelims session on Monday morning due to travel issues related to Typhoon Saola, forcing several swimmers to scratch out of their events.

Shing Ip He missed out on the boys’ 400-meter freestyle while Wui Kiu Man and Wing Yi Claire Cheung scratched the women’s 50 breaststroke. Cheung was a top-16 seed seed in the 50 breast.

Most of Hong Kong shut down transportation on Saturday as Typhoon Saola made landfall. The storm reportedly killed one person and injured more than 60, but damage was limited by a mass evacuation of nearly a million people. A second storm, Typhoon Haikui, followed on Sunday but Taiwan was hit the hardest.

Chinese forecasters warned of the weekend storms last week, with their forecast worsening to a typhoon red warning on Thursday morning.

The World Junior Championships continue Tuesday through Saturday at the Wingate Institute in Israel.

0
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

0 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

About Riley Overend

Riley is an associate editor interested in the stories taking place outside of the pool just as much as the drama between the lane lines. A 2019 graduate of Boston College, he arrived at SwimSwam in April of 2022 after three years as a sports reporter and sports editor at newspapers …

Read More »